Performance of Apple Cultivars in the 1999 NE-183 Regional Project Planting. III. Fruit Sensory Characteristics

Abstract

The sensory qualities of a new apple ( Malus x domesticaBorkh.) cultivar are central to its consumer acceptance. This study examined the crispness, juiciness, sweetness, acidity, flavor, attractiveness and commercial desirability of 23 new cultivars and breeding selections at nine locations across the United States. The commercial standard of comparison for the study was ‘Golden Delicious’. The fruit from four or five replicate trees per cultivar were rated on 5-point scales within 7 days of harvest at each site for 4 consecutive years. All sensory aspects of the cultivars were differentially affected by the influence of growing location, but some broad trends were observed. Selections that scored high for crispness at a majority of sites were CQR10T17, ‘Co-op 39’ (Crimson Crisp ^™), ‘Silken’, ‘Ambrosia’, ‘Co-op 29’ (Sundance ^™), CQR12T50 and NY 65707-19. All selections were rated acceptable or higher for juiciness at most locations. ‘Ambrosia’, BC 8S-26-50 and ‘Golden Delicious’ were considered high in sweetness at most locations, and ‘Cripp’s Pink’ (Pink Lady ^®), NJ 109 and all the scab-resistant clones were significantly less sweet than ‘Golden Delicious’ at most locations. ‘Fuji’ (September Wonder ^®), ‘Ambrosia’, BC 8S-26-50 and ‘Runkel’ tended to be low in acidity, and ‘Cripp’s Pink’, ‘Delblush’ (Tentation ^®), ‘Pinova’, ‘Co-op 29’, ‘Co-op 39’, CQR12T50 and CQR10T17 were high in acidity. Flavor ratings were highly inconsistent across locations, but ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Minnewashta’ (Zestar! ^®) were liked, and CQR10T17 was disliked at a majority of sites. The most consistently attractive selections were ‘Ambrosia’, NY 79507-72, ‘Cripp’s Pink’ and ‘Pinova’, and the least attractive were ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Co-op 29’ and BC 8S-26-50, probably due to skin russet. For most cultivars, desirability varied from location to location, but ‘Ambrosia’, ‘Pinova’ and CQR12T50 were rated highly at all reporting locations. The results reinforce the importance of widespread systematic testing of new cultivars.