TAIF — Some farmers in Taif province are choosing to cultivate some rare plants, such as the pepino dulce fruit, a species of evergreen shrub native to South America that has a sweet taste similar to that of mangos and melons.

The highly productive fruit is tolerant of salinity and most soil types.

Nayef Al-Maliki, a farmer interested in rare crops, told the Saudi Press Agency that the pepino (solanum muricatum) is a tropical fruit native to Chile and Peru.

It can be found in humid areas at high altitude, but can also be grown in low subtropical areas and areas with temperatures between 15°C to 25°C, with a tolerance to heat of up to 30 °C.

Al-Maliki said that the pepino fruit is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae family that has a sweet aromatic flavor that he succeeded in cultivating in Taif after experimenting for over a year.

According to Al-Maliki, the harvest season begins three months after planting, and the plant bears fruit from four to six months after planting.

The variation in the length of the harvest season, he said, is due to several factors, including soil type, time of cultivation, weather conditions, diseases and insect infestation. — SPA