Well, reality is nuanced and evolving. I won’t say that this statement is not true, only that it used to be true but may not be true now or forever. . . .
- How many Chinese PCNAs?
I know only what I read. And yes, for years Luotiantianshi was reportedly the only known Chinese PCNA. But this might not be the only unicorn, right? Is it too much to believe that the ancestor of LTTS pollinated other trees?
According to this article from 2007, “Recent surveys in China found several native PCNA cultivars in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui provinces. The use of Chinese PCNA cultivars offers a new strategy for persimmon breeding by overcoming inbreeding depression and has the potential for progressing the breeding of new PCNA cultivars.”
- Prospects for success using Chinese PCNAs.
Success here seems mostly to depend on time and effort. The first Japanese persimmon research station opened just after 1900; the first breeding program was started in 1938; and new cultivars did not begin to be released in material numbers until the 1990s – roughly 50 years later. So maybe we need patience. Or maybe genetic engineering to speed up the development process.
Persimmon Research Japan.pdf (843.4 KB)