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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #177117
Title: EFFECT OF CULTIVAR AND SITE ON FRUIT QUALITY AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE NE-183 REGIONAL PROJECT ON APPLE CULTIVARS

Author
item Miller, Stephen
item MCNEW, R. - UNIV OR ARKANSAS

Submitted to: HortTechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2005
Publication Date: 10/1/2005
Citation: Miller, S.S., Mcnew, R.W. 2005. Effect of cultivar and site on fruit quality as demonstrated by the ne-183 regional project on apple cultivars. HortTechnology. Oct - Dec 2005 15(4) pp. 886-895.

Interpretive Summary: The objective and systematic evaluation of apple cultivars across many planting sites in North America would provide valuable assistance to growers in selecting new cultivars to plant. In addition, consumers would be able to make informed purchasing choices if provided with fruit quality descriptions. A regional project was initiated in 1995 to evaluate apple cultivars on Malling 9 rootstock planted at 19 sites across North America. The present paper examines the effect that cultivar and planting site had on the quality of the cultivars planted and the significant effect that the interaction of cultivar and planting site can have on apple cultivar performance. Information developed by this regional project will provide a valuable resource for cultivar selection for tree fruit extension, fruit consultants and fruit growers.

Technical Abstract: Cultivar and planting site are two factors that often receive minimal attention, but can have a significant impact on the quality of apple produced. A regional project, NE-183 The Multidisciplinary Evaluation of New Apple Cultivars, was initiated in 1995 to systematically evaluate 20 newer apple cultivars on Malling.9 rootstock across 19 sites in North America. This paper describes the effect of cultivar and site on fruit quality and sensory attributes at a number of the planting sites for the 1998 through 2000 growing seasons. All fruit quality and sensory variables measured were affected by cultivar. The two-way interaction of cultivar and planting site was significant for all response variables except soluble solids concentration, titratable acidity, russet, crispness, and sweetness ratings. The results demonstrate that no one cultivar is ideally suited for all planting sites and no planting site is ideal for maximizing the quality of all apple cultivars. The project demonstrated the significant effect that the interaction of cultivar and location can have on apple cultivar performance.