SUNCRISP

Synonym: NJ 55

Parentage: Golden Delicious x NJ 303955

Color: Lemon-yellow with pink or orange blush

Harvest: Early to mid-October

Fruit: A large conic, regular shaped apple. The cavity is medium to deeper, flared at the top, narrow at the bottom, and often covered with a smooth russet. The stem is medium to longer and somewhat thicker. The basin is generally wide or open and of medium depth with slight furrowing. The calyx is large and open with small sepals. Lenticels are small and may be tan/brown and slightly raised. Fruit are prone to russeting which is a fine texture and often net-like over the surface (unlike that on Golden Delicious). The pink or orange blush may cover 10 to 20% of the surface and may be sunburned giving it a burnt orange color. Fruit are subject to scarfskin that is often visible on the blush area. The seed cavities are very large and open. The cream-yellow flesh is firm, moderately juicy, and crisp. The flavor is spicy tart at full maturity. At early maturity the fruit may be yellow/green and the flavor is very tart and somewhat astringent which masks the high sugar content of the fruit. Fruit flavor becomes subacid with detectable sweetness after several months storage. Storage life appears to be at least 4 months in regular storage; shelf life unknown at this time.  Low susceptibility to tarnished plant bug.  Moderately susceptible to plum curculio, tufted apple bud moth and redbanded leafroller.  Highly susceptible to codling moth and oriental fruit moth.

Tree: A moderately vigorous, upright, and somewhat dense canopy tree. Fairly precocious with very good cumulative yields over 4 seasons but tends toward titleernate bearing. Somewhat prone to preharvest fruit drop. Susceptible to apple scab and moderately susceptible to mildew and cedar apple rust. Exhibited fire blight, but survived under heavy blight pressure.  Low susceptibility to European red mite and Japanese beetle.  Moderately susceptible to rosy apple aphid, spotted tentiform leafminer and white apple leafhopper.  Blooms late.

Market Potential: Average to good: local fresh market and processing