Indian researchers have achieved a major breakthrough with a new sweet plum which they claim has export potential, website Newkerala.com reported.

Khalsa College's agriculture deparment spent three years developing the new cultivar from their plum field gene bank, which it claims is the largest in India.

Research team head Dr J S Bal, said the new plum would change the fate of horticulture in the Punjab.

"The traditional varieties of the plums, locally known as Allu-bukhara, are not very popular among the people because it is sour in taste. The new variety is not only sweeter, it is bigger in size, has more juice content and is stone free," he was quoted as saying.

The new variety, Allu-bukhara Amritsari, has less tartness due to a high 1:14 ratio of sourness-sweetness and is two degrees higher at ripening, standing at 16 degrees in total soluble solids.

It also has a free-stone character as the seed does not cling to the fruit and its sweetness is uniform and unlike other traditional varieties it is not sour at the seed level.

Dr Bal said that the new variety could open the door to exports.

"We can even earn foreign currency as the plum is in great demand in North America, Europe and the Middle East. This variety is so good, it has an upright growth where the plant can be grown as a 'filling plant' in the open areas in all kinds of orchards."

He said the new cultivar would benefit the Punjab which imports plums from neighbouring states and that his team was ready to share the seeds and plants with the farmers.

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