Leyendecker Plant Science Center

Late frosts challenge fruit production each year in central and northern New Mexico. An NMSU researcher is evaluating alternative fruit crops that can produce a reliable crop annually. Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), also called Chinese date, originated in China and has been cultivated for over 4000 years. There are scattered trees from Espanola to Albuquerque to Las Cruces in New Mexico and they all grow and produce well. But there are only 5-6 cultivars commercially available with ‘Li’ being the dominant one. Growers and consumers all demand more diversity in jujube cultivars for different purposes. More...