Taif, August 27, 2023, The pepino dulce fruit, an evergreen shrub species native to South America with a sweet flavor comparable to that of mangos and melons, is one rare plant that some farmers in Taif province have chosen to grow. The very productive fruit can grow in most types of soil and tolerates salinity. The pepino (Solanum muricatum), a tropical fruit native to Chile and Peru, can be grown in low subtropical climates and regions with temperatures between 15°C and 25°C, and it can withstand heat up to 30 °C, according to Nayef Al-Maliki, a farmer interested in rare crops who spoke to the Saudi Press Agency. Al-Maliki claimed that the pepino fruit is a perennial Solanaceae plant with a sweet, aromatic flavor that he was able to cultivate in Taif after trying for more than a year. Al-Maliki claims that the plant bears fruit between four and six months after planting, and the harvest season starts three months after planting. He claimed that a number of variables, such as the kind of soil, the timing of cultivation, the weather, diseases, and insect infestations, affect how long the harvest season is.
