Breeder/Source: Tom Wahl, Red Fern Farm (Iowa, USA). Betria is one of the breeding clones obtained as part of the Red Fern Farm program. Genotype Parentage: in open descriptions, Betria is listed as a seedling from Susquehanna × Shenandoah (making its origin a cross/selection between these two famous varieties). This is also reflected in several enthusiast reviews.
Breeder's description: mid-season — i.e., the middle of the ripening season for US regions where Red Fern Farm varieties were tested. Practical guide: in the USA, this is usually late August – September. For Europe, this gives a good probability that fruits will have time to ripen, provided there is a normal summer. But in very cool years, the risk of under-ripening remains for all mid-late varieties.
Breeder's description: "large fruit size, low seed, excellent flavor". Estimated fruit weight: I found no specific publicly measured average values for Betria, but one can estimate approximately 250–400 g/fruit. This assessment should be taken as a guideline rather than measured statistics. Shape/Skin: typical elongated-oval fruit; skin is thin, yellowish-green/yellow when ripe. Pulp/Texture: creamy — in breeder descriptions and gardener reviews. Aroma/Taste: high taste scores — "excellent flavor"; gardener reviews mention a rich, tropical-fruiting taste without bitter notes.
Red Fern and several practitioners mention "heavy production" — meaning the potential to yield large crops. In forum reviews, Betria is mentioned alongside other "high-yield" Red Fern seedlings. However, there are no quantitative publications (kg/tree) in open sources specifically for this clone.
Typical for cultivated pawpaws: medium-strong growth; adult height is usually ≈4–6 m under normal, well-maintained planting conditions. Specific growth rate data for Betria is not publicly available; in breeder descriptions, the variety is not marked as "biennially aggressive" or "too compact".
Betria requires cross-pollination — for stable and abundant fruiting, at least one other variety (of a different genotype) with overlapping bloom should be nearby (or manual pollination should be done). Flies and beetles are the main pollen carriers; sometimes gardeners use manual pollination to increase the percentage of fruit set.
The growing zone is typical for breeding — USDA zones 5–9; Red Fern tests varieties for temperate US regions. Betria comes from the Red Fern (Iowa) program, thus it is adapted to temperate climates with cold winters. Mature trees likely have high winter hardiness in temperate climates, but as always, saplings need protection/mulching in the first years.
Overall status for pawpaws: few serious diseases in temperate climates; leaf spot possible in wet years, local pests (moths, caterpillars). No specific reports of problems for Betria exist — the breeder positions the variety as "healthy/productive". Recommendations: normal agro-husbandry (ventilation, mulching, sanitary pruning).
Red Fern Farm is one of the main sources of information and propagation — Betria is mentioned on their page.
In thematic forums, Betria is mentioned as one of the "new and promising" clones from Red Fern, with a good set of traits: large fruit, few seeds, excellent flavor, strong yield. Discussions emphasize that Red Fern varieties (Asterion, Atria, Betria, etc.) regularly show good results in small gardener trials. But they also highlight that data comes from small tests/enthusiasts, so far without large-scale scientific research.
There are no large-scale scientific publications for Betria (in open access) with detailed measurements: average fruit weight across many trees, average yields kg/tree under standardized conditions, long-term resistance in different zones. The main sources are the Red Fern catalog and forum descriptions.