WA5 Part 2

WA5 Part 2

WA5 Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

 

New apple varieties keep popping up and according to Kate Evans, Associate Professor with WSU’s Apple Breeding Program the new WA5 variety was developed especially for Washington State.

 

EVANS: You know I think that Washington State is such a big producer of dessert varieties, this is the first opportunity that the state has had for varieties that are specifically selected for the growing conditions here so we would assume that the varieties that are coming from this program, that are selected for these growing conditions will perform better than varieties that come in from other places.

 

WA2 was the last apple specifically developed for this particular region.

 

EVANS: We know for example something like Jazz has a problem with fruit size when it’s grown here. There are also other varieties that have had problems with sunburn, another trait that’s particularly a problem to growers in the state so our varieties and our selections because we are focusing on the issues that are predominant and important here in Washington State, our varieties should be better adapted to the growing conditions.

 

Of course these two varieties are still in the trial phases so don’t look for them in stores for a few years and expect a different name at that time.

 

EVANS: They will have marketable names when they’re released as fruit. At the moment we just have a name we put in for a patent application for the tree. Once the full market plan is developed for these varieties they’ll have a name to suit that plan.

 

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.

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