It took 5,000 Trees to Breed this New Apple! | Maryland Farm & Harvest
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 3 фев 2020
- Maryland orchards grow a lot of apples, but some varieties don’t do well in the state’s warmer, humid climate. One professor at the University of Maryland has been on a decades-long quest to breed a new apple specifically for Maryland growers. Starting with 5,000 different trees, Dr. Chris Walsh has narrowed his work down to only a handful of varieties, and hopes are high as the new “Antietam Blush” apple hits the market. MFH 713
Great video! What does Antietam Blush taste like? It seems they were going for an eating apple, but what about a cooking apple? Are any of the other 6 finalists going to be entering the market?
We tasted several during our meeting, and they were a little on the tart side. Dr. Walsh said they weren't quite ripe yet, and they'd taste sweeter after a few weeks. They would be good for both eating and cooking. As for the other finalists, there were some plans to market one of them, but it doesn't have a name yet.
There were also lots of strange apples that weren't commercially viable, but they had really cool traits, like a faint watermelon flavor or a bright yellow peel. Dr. Walsh said it's amazing what secrets are hidden in apple genetics.
Is this new apple available for the public? Fruitwise and an actual grafted tree?
Yes! It is slowly becoming available in commercial orchards. Obviously it takes some time to grow the trees. Thanks for watching!
Yes. You can get it from Cummins Nursery (mail order). I planted one last year in Central Virginia.
I'm confused. I thought you couldn't use the seeds from an apple tree to get another generation of the exact tree...and in order to get this new tree out, they'll have to Air Layer/ take cuttings to clone it?
Yes, to make new Antietam Blush trees, they will have to be made from cuttings of this original tree. Often the cuttings are grafted onto existing trees, so they take less time to grow to maturity and create fruit.
However, Dr. Walsh has also cross-bred Antietam Blush with other trees in his project, and is studying their offspring as well.
@@MarylandFarmHarvest Okay wow!!! Thank you!!! I live in MD... can't wait to buy some for my home.
Awesome work, but that's a pretty ugly apple tree to grow in a home garden!
Dr. Walsh told us he specifically doesn't prune the trees he breeds so he can study their natural growth patterns. That's why it's so messy. Most apple trees you grow at home need at least a little pruning to control their limbs and keep the tree healthy and neat. Thanks for watching!
@@MarylandFarmHarvest That's good to know. Thanks!