Autumn Beauty

'Autumn Beauty' is the trademarked name for 'Alcalde #1', which in China is the cultivar Qiyuexian, bred at Northwest A&F University in Shaanxi Province and released there in 2003. It reached the United States through James Gilbert and New Mexico State University in 2011 and became the flagship of NMSU's jujube program, taking its Alcalde name from the research station where it was evaluated. Its value is a combination other cultivars struggle to deliver at once: genuinely large fruit at 25 to 30 g, high sugar at 28.9 to 32.3 degrees Brix, and early ripening — half-red by early September at Los Lunas. That means growers in shorter-season areas can get a large jujube instead of settling for a small early one like 'Honey Jar'. The tree is compact with only moderate vigor.