06/13/08 Developing Apples

Developing Apples. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Not that many years ago when you would go to the grocery store you had your pick of 3 maybe 4 varieties of apples. Today that selection has grown to a dozen or more. Interestingly those new varieties of apples have been around a long time. According to David Bedford, research scientist and apple grower with the University of Minnesota, new apple varieties take time to develop. BEDFORD: It takes us 25 to 30 years to develop a new variety and then once we release it, it takes about 15 years for a variety to catch on. So what most people would consider a new variety like let's just say Honeycrisp, that breeding was actually done in 1960. Talk about your overnight sensation. I've had conversations with musicians and movie stars who talk about the long road to overnight sensation. The patent for the Honeycrisp expires in November of this year which means a loss of revenue for the University of Minnesota but there is always something new. BEDFORD: It takes us a long time to develop these things, once they're out it takes a long time for them to catch on so we're always way ahead. At any given time I have between 60 and 90 different things in the pipeline, different new varieties. Can you imagine having to choose from 60 to 90 varieties at the grocer? But why do consumers only ever see a handful of new apples? BEDFORD: We only find one out of 10-thousand trees from our breeding that's good enough to get named and released. So enjoy that apple..it has a long history behind it. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.