The United States Patent and Trademark office has granted patents for two varieties of Chilean guavas (murtilla in Spanish), developed by the country’s institute of agricultural research (INIA), the INIA and fruit growers federation said in separate statements.

The patents were delivered through the U.S. embassy in Chile for the South Pearl and Red Pearl varieties of Chilean guava.  The fruit is small, red-purple fruit no larger than the size of a blueberry.

“This is without a doubt an important recognition of the development and protection of the work of our researchers, which will bring direct benefits to the country,” the national director of the INIA, Guillermo Donoso, said in the statement.

This is the second time that Chile has patented a fruit variety in the U.S., the statement said.

Photo: wikipedia.org

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com