South African farmers Dean and Deon Barnard have grown the world’s heaviest plum, weighing 464.15 g (16.3 oz).
According Guinness World Records, the softball-sized fruit is 109.78 g (3.8 oz) heavier than the previous record holder, a plum of the Kiyo variety grown in Japan in 2021.
The Barnards’ plump plum was grown at their farm, Oppie Plaas Boerdery, where they have commercial plum orchards spanning seven hectares (17.3 acres).
“It hasn’t been bred to set records,” Dean revealed.
“The record plum came off a commercial tree with about 150 plums on it. I didn’t do any special preparations to get it this big.”
The plum weighed 480 g when first harvested, but moisture loss caused it to shed a few grams.
Read also: Three black-skinned plums introduced in South Africa
It belongs to the Autumn Treat variety, which Dean describes as crisp and sweet tasting.
Dean and Deon have been farming plums for the past eight years, previously having zero knowledge about them.
They also grow hops, almonds and pecans, although they’re currently replacing the latter two with more plums.
Their plums take around seven months to grow, with flowering starting in September.
They also found a couple of other record breakers among this year’s harvest, ranging between 400-450 g.
“Our area has a lot of very unique microclimates and that helps the plums a lot,” Dean explained. “We do soil samples yearly and then put into the soil what is needed.
“I also have a top plum specialist to help us with production and quality.”
Dean says it feels “unreal” to have broken this world record, and he now has his sights set on growing the world’s first 500-gram plum.
He added: “I’m so proud and excited. It’s really a big privilege to have the record and I’m so blessed by God.”
Фото: Guinness World Records
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