These selections are evaluated for another 10-15 years. Selections that move on to the next round of evaluation are cloned by grafting/budding onto common rootstocks and planted into a second test block. Most trees are discarded during the first year of fruit bearing - only about 1 out of every 200 trees moves on to become a “selection” for further testing. Researchers taste the apples from each seedling to evaluate the quality of fruit. The seedlings start to produce fruit around 5 years after initial crossing, and that’s when the real work begins. Plants that make it through DNA testing are grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock and allowed to grow. DNA testing allows researchers to predict important traits and eliminate undesirable plants before they’re planted outside. A leaf from each plant generated by the hybrid seed then undergoes DNA testing. These hybrid seeds are collected and brought to the greenhouse to germinate and grow.

The fruit that grows as a result of this pollination contains new, hybrid seeds. Flowers are pollinated by hand to ensure the planned crosses are made. The parents are crossed with the goal of developing a new cultivar that is both disease resistant and crisp.Īfter the crosses are planned, our researchers manually cross-pollinate flowers in much the same way that it occurs in nature. For example, one parent may be disease resistant but not crisp and the other parent may be crisp but not disease resistant. “Parent” varieties are paired to complement strengths and weaknesses and develop new cultivars with each parents’ most desired characteristics. Our researchers start the process by looking at performance and DNA data for various varieties and identifying what crosses they want to make.

Our rigorous evaluation process and high quality standards allow only the best selections to advance through our testing process. From the initial cross to release date, it takes on average 20-30 years for a new apple variety to hit the market.

Disease resistance: apple scab, fire blightĪpple breeding takes time and patience.

Flavor: sweetness, acidity, aroma (flavor).

Texture: crispness, juiciness, firmness.

Some of the traits our researchers select for in the breeding process include:

Our apple breeding efforts balance consumer-driven priorities with production concerns to develop apples that taste great and are economically sustainable for growers.Īn apple's flavor, texture and appearance are the primary concerns, but our breeders also consider the fruit’s storage ability and shelf life so the quality of the apple is maintained from the orchard to the consumer. before being released to the public.Įxplore all University of Minnesota apple varieties Breeding priorities Our best apples undergo evaluation in commercial orchards in Minnesota and throughout the world as well as at other research centers across the U.S. Most of the breeding and evaluation takes place at the Horticultural Research Center in Victoria. The apple breeding program began in the late 1800s with the goal of developing cold hardy apples that are both high quality and high yielding.Īt any given time, our apple breeding program has 20,000 to 25,000 apple trees in various stages of evaluation. The University of Minnesota is recognized as one of the top apple breeding and genetics research programs in the country.

David blight north central college