Survey Results Yield Unique Grower Insight On What’s Hot and Not in Apple Varieties

With fruit industry leaders currently lamenting apple overproduction, American Fruit Grower asked apple (and pear) growers to identify the varieties they have been removing and those they are adding.

As one might expect, their responses to our 2025 State of the Fruit and Nut Industry survey are provocative, starting with, “There are no profitable apple varieties,” according to one Washington state tree fruit grower.

And, “I found that some of the fastest to grow to fruiting production have the least flavor. And some with the best flavor take years to grow,” an Indiana apple grower says. “It’s good to plant a large variety of apples.”

Some varieties more so than others apparently:

WE ARE REMOVING …

“‘Ambrosia’ and ‘RubyFrost’. The market doesn’t want them.” – New York grower

“‘Jonagold’ and ‘Empire’. We’re not replanting: Can’t at these low sale prices vs. high labor costs.” – New York

“We pulled some older ‘Honeycrisp’ blocks that no longer produced the quality that we strive for.” – Michigan

“We’re pulling ‘Honeycrisp’. Not a good crop in the area.” – Tennessee

“We’re pulling out apples and planting pomegranates.” – Nevada

“We’ll discontinue organic ‘Jazz’ apple when we have the income to do so. The buyers — Walmart — are no longer buying this variety.” – Washington

“‘Fuji’ and ‘Ambrosia’. We are not investing in anything new this year. There is not enough capital to invest in anything new.” – Washington

WE ARE ADDING …

“We’re keeping the same wholesale varieties and increasing different U-pick varieties.” – Connecticut

“We’re looking for disease resistance to cedar apple rust, fire blight, and scab. Also phytophthora-resistant rootstock.” – Virginia

“Our farm is investing in the ‘EverCrisp’ apple. It tastes amazing, stores well, travels well, and our customers are asking about this apple.” – Michigan

“‘Honeycrisp and ‘Gala’ because of demand and crop consistency. ‘Honeycrisp’ are precocious. The ‘Gala’ are a seasonal workhorse for us.” – Wisconsin

“We’re not pulling any. We’re investing in club varieties of apples, cherries, and pears.” – Washington

“Sweet, tart, crisp varieties.” – California

REMOVING AND ADDING …

“We’re removing varieties that are declining in demand, low density, and low returning: ‘Topaz’, ‘Empire’, ‘Autumn Crisp’, ‘Red Delicious’, ‘Cortland’, ‘McIntosh’, and ‘Jonagold’. We’re planting better coloring strains of ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Gala’, and ‘EverCrisp’ that will replace these varieties on the wrong rootstocks to improve quality.” – New York

“Premier ‘Honeycrisp’ out — it’s garbage. Dense processing varieties in.” – Michigan

“We are pulling out ‘Rome’, ‘Braeburn’, ‘Winesap’, etc., and investing in MAIA varieties like ‘Sweet Maia’, ‘EverCrisp’, etc. Of course, we’re still investing in ‘Honeycrisp’, too.” – Illinois

“Pulling out diseased trees (fire blight), mostly ‘Honeycrisp’. Replacing with ‘SweeTango’, ‘First Kiss’, and ‘Triumph’ due to flavor and sale-ability.” – Minnesota

“We’re taking out ‘Rome’ and ‘Honeycrisp’; ‘Romes’ because of low prices, and ‘Honeycrisp’ because it is just too hot here at harvest time. We’re planting ‘EverCrisp’ and redder ‘Pink Lady’.” – North Carolina

“We removed ‘Arkansas Black’ and planted ‘Royal Red Honeycrisp’, ‘Lady In Red’, ‘Triumph’, and ‘Granny Smith’.” – South Carolina

“We’re removing ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ and adding ‘Enterprise’ and more ‘Arkansas Blacks’.” – Tennessee

“We are slowly removing ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Rome’. We are planting more MAIA varieties because they are more suitable to our region.” – Georgia

“Discontinuing ‘Braeburn’ and possibly others not producing. Investing in ‘Fuji’, ‘Gala’, ‘Honeycrisp’ — they’re best sellers with best customer feedback.” – Kansas

PEAR MOVEMENT

Pear growers offer equally interesting comments about their fruit of choice:

“We’re losing ‘Clapp’s Favorite’ pears to fire blight. We’re pulling out ‘Gala’ apples because of fire blight and planting ‘Honeycrisp’ and newer MAIA varieties, such as ‘EverCrisp’ and ‘Sweet Maia’, and increasing heirloom offerings.” – Maine

“We’re removing less-popular Asian pear varieties; peach varieties that do not meet current market color demands; and apple varieties that are primarily processing only or no longer command high prices in the marketplace. We’re investing in new pear varieties that are more fire blight resistant, consistent in size, and produce well — ‘Harrow’ series, ‘Cold Snap’, ‘Shenandoah’, ‘Sunrise’; peach varieties that are more highly colored, focusing on both early-season and later-season cultivars; and new apple cultivars that are attractive to farm marketers, have excellent color and flavor profiles, and allow a season-long production scheme.” – Pennsylvania

“I’ve added more Asian pears and continue to top-graft low-value trees with varieties that I know are marketable and new varieties that I think will create a market niche.” – Oregon

“We’re adding more pears. They are making money still; ‘Anjou’ and ‘Happi’ in particular.” – Washington

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Stay tuned for more insights from the 2025 State of the Fruit and Nut Industry report in the coming weeks.