Apple Cultivars and Their Uses

Michele Warmund
Department of Horticulture

Selecting apple trees for planting can be a bit overwhelming with so many cultivars available from nurseries. Every year promising new cultivars are released. However, there are several factors that help narrow the choices.

• Is it adapted to Missouri?
  Some apples, such as Honeycrisp and Jonagold, become discolored and soft in our summer heat. Others apples grow well in drier climates but develop russet (brown "scurfiness" on surface of the fruit) in Missouri because of the high humidity.
• How much care do you want to give the apples?
  Some apple cultivars are very disease resistant and require few if any fungicides. Other apples will not produce a high quality crop in Missouri without chemical sprays. Unfortunately there are no insect-resistant cultivars. Most apples become "wormy" from codling moth larvae without treatment.
• What type of apple do you want?
  Summer apples are great for eating fresh but often have a short storage life. They should be consumed promptly. Many of the later ripening apples tend to have a prolonged storage life. However, even late-ripening apples held in a refrigerator will deteriorate about three months after harvest.
• What about pollination?
  It takes at least two different types of apple for successful pollination. Also, crabapples that bloom at the same time as your apple trees work perfectly well as pollenizers. Bees are needed for successful pollination and fruit set. For this reason, do not spray apple trees with insecticides during flowering. Also remove dandelion flowers when apples are in bloom to encourage bees to pollinate apple flowers.
• Which strain of a cultivar should you choose?
  As cultivars are grown, new strains are released that might be earlier ripening, better colored, earlier coloring, spur type, etc. For example, Red Delicious apple has more than 40 strains currently available on the market. Some strains are better than others. This guide cannot include all possible strains; the fruit is described according to what would typically be expected for a cultivar. After reading a cultivar's description in this publication, contact a nursery for more information.

Characteristics of various disease-resistant and standard apple cultivars

Note
Disease ratings are based on a collection of observations by MU personnel, Cornell Extension personnel, and as rated by commercial nurseries.

• Very susceptible, disease control will be necessary
• Susceptible, disease control will usually be needed
• Resistant, control needed only under high pest pressure
• Very resistant, no control necessary for this disease

Harvest dates and fruit description for several apple cultivars

Note
"Well-balanced" flavor refers to the balance of acids (sour/tart) and sugars (sweet) in the fruit. A very sweet fruit with very little acidity (e.g., Red Delicious) does not have well-balanced flavor. A fruit may be very high in acids but also have high levels of sugar for a well-balanced, full flavor.

Positive and negative traits of selected cultivars

Primary use for selected varieties

Note
With refrigeration

• Short, a few weeks
• Medium, 2 to 3 months
• Long, 3 to 6 months
• Very long, 6+ months

Note
Tables included in this publication present popular apples that are grown in Missouri. These tables are a guide for choosing a cultivar for planting and do not include all the cultivars available from nurseries. When planting a newly released cultivar, it may be untested in all locations of the state.

For a description of heirloom apple cultivars not listed in these tables, refer to the Register of New Fruit and Nut Varieties (R.M. Brooks and H.R. Olmo, 1952, University of California Press); available in libraries.