Finding A Winning Apple Variety
February 5, 2014 
TC2 is a red-fleshed apple developed by Bill Howell in Prosser, WA.
The theme of the Washington State Horticultural Association’s (WSHA) annual meeting in Wenatchee this past December was “Is Your Orchard Ready? Preparing Your Operation For The Future.” While much of the focus was on orchard systems and mechanization, the basis for future success often begins with variety selection.
During the meeting, a panel of apple growers, marketers, and breeders shared their thoughts on “finding the winners” when it comes to new varieties. Jeff Cleveringa, the outgoing WSHA president who moderated the panel, began by emphasizing that the definition of a winning variety will ultimately vary based on the grower, their location, and their market. The panelists included Tim Welch of Columbia Fruit in Wenatchee; Dave Allan of Allan Brothers Inc. in Naches; Kate Evans with the Washington State University (WSU) Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center; and Bill Howell of Topcliffe Farm in Prosser.
Matter Of Opinion
Much of the variety discussion was focused on the criteria each panelist might use in identifying a winning variety. The following is just some of their replies:
• Tim Welch, a horticulturist with Columbia Fruit, has spent the last 10 years looking at and developing (managing) the company’s managed varieties. This development includes planning, planting, and overseeing the new orchards producing new varieties, as well as overseeing the product as it moves through marketing and sales.
Welch looks to the eating quality first. “It must have something that sets it apart from others.” Underneath eating quality is, how long will it eat like that? “Flavor and texture are the two components of eating quality that I evaluate first. Then comes appearance and size.” Welch notes that appearance has moved up the list for him as he looks at store shelves and observes shoppers; they seem to give high consideration to visual appearance. “If the above items look good, I have to understand if we can grow it, whether it is a productive variety, and if it fits in among the varieties we grow or poses challenges, particularly at harvest time.”
• Dave Allan of Allan Brothers says his top criteria is shelf life. “We can pick it and say it’s good, but you really need five to seven days of the apple sitting at room temperature,” he says. “After all, this is what may be happening at retail.” Texture is the next factor, and “anything with mealiness is gone.” Flavor may be the toughest factor to gauge, says Allan, since the preferences of buyers will differ, often based on demographics.
• For Kate Evans, the answer to a winning variety is quite simple: it must be a distinct improvement on current varieties. This improvement could be anything from fruit quality to ease of production to the ability to maintain long-term quality.
As a breeder, Evans is in a unique situation. Whereas a grower or marketer might be looking at a small handful of potential new cultivars, Evans is faced with thousands of choices. “We have to select for appearance; when you have 20,000 trees you can’t taste every apple,” she says. “We walk through seedlings and look for fruit that stands out in color. It has to have something that makes the consumer want to stop and buy it.”
• Bill Howell, who farms on a small amount of acreage, is notable for his individual breeding and evaluation of red-fleshed varieties. He says a new apple must have a great eating experience. “In taste tests, does it consistently finish at or near the top?” He also says it must be distinct enough to distinguish itself in the market (hence his focus on red-fleshed cultivars), it must be productive, and there must be market potential for it.
It’s Up To You
What are the challenges growers might face when seeking out a new variety? And what must they
do to overcome these challenges? These questions were posed to the panel as well.
• Allan notes that smaller growers (those with less than 100 acres) should be diligent in looking for new varieties to evaluate. In particular, they should monitor the varieties coming out of Evans’ apple breeding program at WSU, such as WA 38. “WSU’s job is to develop varieties. The industry’s job is to figure out where to plant them,” says Allan. “It’s important for growers to do their own research.”
• Howell says that for small growers like himself, “if you have a variety you like, you need to be willing to market it yourself. Even if it’s a full-time job.”
• According to Welch, there will always be a risk moving forward, and perhaps the biggest challenge is knowing when to pull back on something that may not be working. “If you sense little excitement from the market, there might not be a future for that variety.”
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