Early Maturing Apple Cultivars

In the table below are some of the early cultivars we have growing at Rock Springs. I suspect many of you do not produce some of these. Obviously, Honeycrisp are grown widely in the region and you can see that Premier has matured earlier than our standard old strain. Commercially some of you do grow earlier maturing selections such as Lodi or Summer Rambo. As with some growers, the cropping level on your different cultivars is variable due to our two cold events on or around April 17, 2020, and May 9, 2020, this past spring.

The extended bloom this year made pinpointing full bloom difficult and the drawn out bloom period has produced quite a range in apple sizes. In many cultivars the fruit that set laterally on 1-year-old shoots are considerably smaller in comparison to fruit that set on 2-year-old wood or spurs.

^z Harvest dates at Rock Springs in central Pennsylvania.

Below are a few apple cultivars that have been around for a number of years but you may not have seen them. No, they are not perfect but they can add something to your market season.

Sansa

Originated in Morioka, Japan in cooperation with Don McKenzie of New Zealand from a cross of Gala x Akane in New Zealand in 1959 and tested at Morioka #42. It was introduced to the U.S. in 1989. The fruit are medium-small (200-250 g) with a conical shape. The skin is bright red over a yellow-green ground color with some russet in the basin. The flesh is whitish-yellow, crisp, fine-textured, and juicy. Moderate to slightly weak vigored tree. It is resistant to Alternaria blotch, apple scab, and rust.

Sunrise

Developed at the Summerland Research Station in British Columbia from an unreleased female parent arising from 10C-10-19 (McIntosh x Golden Delicious x PCF#-120 (chance seedling) and tested as 8C-27-96. Introduced into the U.S. in 1991. Fruit are 50% bright, pinkish-red stripes on pale yellow ground color. Usually above 200 g in size and ribbed fruit. Under Canadian conditions resistant to sunburn. The flavor is mild, sweet, and low acid. Trees tend to be very "spurry" and vigorous. It is tolerant to powdery mildew.

Zestar!

Developed by the University of Minnesota as a late August maturing fruit. As are most releases from the University of Minnesota it is noted for its cold hardiness. Fruit tend to be "blocky" round with 50 to 85% red stripe that can condense into a solid scarlet red when exposed to good sunlight levels. The flavor is well balanced between acid and sugar but tasting sweeter than tart. Flesh color is white but will oxidize after cutting. Zestar! tends to have an early bloom, although this year is low due to frosts at Rock Springs.