Cuernavaqueña

'Cuernavaqueña' is the ciruela mexicana clone of Morelos, named for Cuernavaca, and it has become the reference cultivar in Mexican postharvest research on Spondias purpurea — when horticultural scientists in Mexico study how to extend the life of a Mexican plum, this is the cultivar they use. It is valued for attractive eating quality, but it suffers from the problem that limits the whole species commercially: a very short useful life after picking, reported at 9 to 11 days at ambient temperature depending on whether fruit is cut mature or semi-mature, and as little as 1 to 8 days in other trials. Refrigeration research on the clone found that ten days at 5 degrees C suppressed the accumulation of total soluble solids compared with unrefrigerated fruit or fruit held only five days, evidence of chilling sensitivity that matters to anyone planning to store the crop.