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Apple Varieties and their diseases
The following table on apple varieties and their characteristics are taken from the web pages of Missouri State University. I am adding these to our site because the current apple lists from NMSU are out of date and many of the newer varieties are not listed. What is true of Missouri may not necessarily be true in New Mexico and when our list has been updated these pages will be replaced. For additional listings for New Mexico you may wish to consult the New Mexico Apple Council.
Characteristics of various disease-resistant and standard apple varieties.1
| Apple scab | Cedar apple rust | Powdery mildew | Fire blight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scab-immune varieties | ||||
| Williams Pride | very resistant | resistant | moderately susceptible | resistant |
| Redfree | very resistant | resistant | resistant | moderately susceptible |
| Dayton | very resistant | resistant | resistant | resistant |
| Prima | very resistant | very susceptible | resistant | resistant |
| Priscilla | very resistant | very resistant | susceptible | susceptible |
| Jonafree | very resistant | resistant | susceptible | resistant |
| Sir Prize | very resistant | susceptible | resistant | very susceptible |
| Liberty | very resistant | very resistant | resistant | resistant |
| Apple scab | Cedar apple rust | Powdery mildew | Fire blight | |
| Scab-immune varieties | ||||
| Akane | moderately susceptible | resistant | resistant | resistant |
| Arkansas Black | moderately susceptible | resistant | resistant | resistant |
| Braeburn | susceptible | ? | susceptible | very susceptible |
| Cortland | very susceptible | susceptible | very susceptible | susceptible |
| Empire | very susceptible | resistant | susceptible | resistant |
| Fuji | susceptible | ? | ? | susceptible |
| Gala | susceptible | susceptible | susceptible | very susceptible |
| Golden Delicious | susceptible | very susceptible | susceptible | susceptible |
| Granny Smith | susceptible | resistant | very susceptible | very susceptible |
| Jonagold | very susceptible | very susceptible | susceptible | very susceptible |
| Apple scab | Cedar apple rust | Powdery mildew | Fire blight | |
| Scab-immune varieties | ||||
| Jonamac | susceptible | resistant | susceptible | susceptible |
| Jonathan | susceptible | very susceptible | very susceptible | very susceptible |
| Lodi | susceptible | very susceptible | resistant | very susceptible |
| McIntosh | very susceptible | very resistant | susceptible | susceptible |
| Mutsu (Crispin) | very susceptible | susceptible | very susceptible | very susceptible |
| Northern Spy | susceptible | susceptible | susceptible | resistant |
| Ozark Gold | susceptible | susceptible | susceptible | susceptible |
| Paulared | susceptible | resistant | susceptible | very susceptible |
| Red Delicious | susceptible | very resistant | resistant | resistant |
| Rome Beauty | very susceptible | very susceptible | susceptible | very susceptible |
| Spartan | susceptible | resistant | resistant | susceptible |
| 1Disease ratings are based on a collection of observations by University of Missouri personnel, Cornell University Extension personnel, and as rated by commercial nurseries. Very susceptible — disease control will be necessary; susceptible — disease control will usually be needed; resistant — control only needed under high pest pressure; very resistant — no control necessary for this disease. | ||||
Table 2. Harvest dates and fruit description for several apple varieties.
| Variety | Typical harvest time | Fruit characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| Lodi | mid July | Medium size; yellowish-green; soft, sweet-tart flavor |
| Williams Pride | late July | Medium-large size; red fruit; softens quickly; sweet, well-balanced flavor |
| Redfree | early August | Medium size; bright red; well balanced flavor |
| Akane | mid August | Medium size; bright red; looks and tastes similar to Jonathan |
| Dayton | mid August | Large, mostly red fruit; well balanced flavor; crisp and juicy |
| Prima | mid August | Medium to large size; dark red; firm, but softens in heat |
| Variety | Typical harvest time | Fruit characteristic |
| Priscilla | mid August | Medium size; red blush; firm; good flavor |
| Jonamac | late August | Medium size; dark striped fruit; semi-firm |
| Gala | August | Medium size; orange-red color; outstanding fresh flavor. Excellent for cooking. |
| Ozark Gold | late August | Medium to large, yellow fruit; resistant to russetting |
| McIntosh | early September | Small to medium size; red over green color; tart fruit; can be soft; favorite in northeastern U.S. |
| Jonafree | early September | Similar to Jonathan |
| Jonathan | early September | Medium sized red fruit; tart but well balanced flavor; favorite throughout the Midwest |
| Cortland | early September | Large red fruit; can be soft |
| Sirprize | early September | Large yellow fruit with blush; juicy, well balanced sweet flavor |
| Liberty | early September | Small to medium size; red over green color; McIntosh-type of fruit; tart with coarse texture |
| Jonalicious | early September | Medium size; red over yellow color |
| Spartan | mid September | Medium size; dark red fruit; McIntosh-type; semi-firm; aromatic fine flavor |
| Variety | Typical harvest time | Fruit characteristic |
| Empire | mid September | Medium size; red fruit; McIntosh-type |
| Red Delicious | mid September | Medium to large, solid red fruit, sweet apple with little acidity |
| Jonagold | mid September | Large, red over yellow fruit, outstanding, well balanced flavor, firm crisp |
| Golden Delicious | mid September | Large yellow apple; tends to russet, sweet and well balanced flavor; many feel this is what an apple should taste like |
| Rome Beauty | late September | Large, red fruit; very firm; good flavor; favorite in eastern U.S. |
| Mutsu (Crispin) | late September | Large, yellow-green fruit; very juicy; mostly sweet flavor |
| Variety | Typical harvest time | Fruit characteristic |
| Winesap | early October | Medium sized, crisp, juicy, red fruit; tart |
| Fuji | mid October | Medium to large reddish fruit; not attractive; very sweet and juicy |
| Braeburn | mid October | Large red fruit; outstanding, well balanced flavor; very firm fruit |
| York | mid October | Medium to large; red blush over green-yellow; firm, crisp and juicy |
| Northern Spy | mid October | Small to large size; greenish-yellow with red blush; firm, crisp, juicy, and tart |
| Arkansas Black | mid October | Medium to large; deep purplish color; firm; coarse texture; good flavor |
| Granny Smith | late October | Medium to large green fruit; hard crisp; tart but well balanced flavor |
| '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 i.e. '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. | ||
Table 3. Observations on the main positive and negative traits for selected varieties.
| Variety | Positive traits | Problems |
|---|---|---|
| Akane | Early season; Jonathan-type red apple, disease resistant | Can get too soft in heat |
| Arkansas Black | Long storage | |
| Braeburn | Outstanding flavor and texture | Fire blight; may not consistently ripen before frost; prone to bitter pit (calcium disorder in fruit) |
| Cortland | Good all around use | Not well adapted to Missouri or New Mexico |
| Dayton | Great fresh quality, disease-resistant | Prone to biennial bearing (very large crop one year, very small crop the next; thin fruit every year to keep yield more constant) |
| Empire | Better than McIntosh | Prone to fruit rots, probably best of McIntosh types for Missouri, but suffers under Missouri summers |
| Fuji | Sweet, crisp apples | Very long season may not ripen before frost; prone to russetting and bitter pit; poor color, but newer strains have better color |
| Gala | Best apple you'll ever taste fresh. Excellent cooking apple. | Extremely susceptible to fire blight; brittle wood; many feel that more highly colored strains don't have as good a flavor as the original Gala (also called Kidd's D-8 cultivar) |
| Golden Delicious | Great all around flavor | Prone to biennial bearing and russetting; where possible plant low russetting types such as 'Smoothee' |
| Granny Smith | Good fruit quality | Very long season, may not ripen before frost Jonathan-type apple, disease-resistant. Like Jonathan, susceptible to powdery mildew |
| Jonagold | Outstanding fresh fruit quality | Disease susceptible; will not pollinate other apples |
| Jonalicious | Favorite of a small group of people | Has never proven to be an outstanding variety |
| Jonathan | What Missourians think apples should taste like | Very susceptible to fire blight and powdery mildew |
| Liberty | Very productive; McIntosh-type apple; very disease resistant | Small fruit, quality not the same as a good McIntosh grown in the northeast U.S. |
| Lodi | Early season; good sauce | Soft fruit; splits and becomes mealy as turns yellow |
| McIntosh | Nice apple | Does not do well under Missouri summers |
| Mutsu (Crispin) | Sweet, crisp, juicy apple | Triploid, therefore pollen is sterile; anything will pollinate it, it won't pollinate anything |
| Variety | Positive traits | Problems |
| Northern Spy | Good for processing | |
| Ozark Gold | Non-russetting Golden Delicious-type apple | Soft fruit; Prone to fruit drop in heat |
| Prima | Good apple in early season | Flesh and skin will often brown under Missouri's sun and heat |
| Priscilla | Unique, spicy flavor | Low yields |
| Red Delicious | Sweet apple | Bland flavor; does not get the typical shape that those grown in the Pacific Northwest have |
| Redfree | Great color, flavor and texture for so early in the season | Prone to biennial bearing |
| Rome Beauty | Old favorite | Does not thrive in Missouri |
| Sirprize | Good quality disease-resistant Golden Delicious-type apple | Unknown |
| Spartan | Better than McIntosh | Doesn't thrive under Missouri summers |
| Williams Pride | Flavor is good for early season | Turns soft with brown skin and flesh under high temperatures |
| Winesap | Old favorite; long keeper | Does not thrive in Missouri |
| York | Favorite of your grandparents; good keeper | Does not get as good a flavor as it might in the eastern U.S. |
Table 4. Primary use for selected varieties (storage refers to longevity
if given refrigeration:
Short — a few weeks; Medium — 2-3 months; Long — 3-6 months; Very long — 6+
months).
| Akane: Fresh eating Storage: Medium |
| Arkansas Black: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Very long |
| Braeburn: Fresh eating Storage: Very long |
| Cortland: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking), salad Storage: Long |
| Dayton: Fresh eating Storage: Short |
| Empire: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking), freezing Storage: Long |
| Fuji: Fresh eating Storage: Long |
| Gala: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking), Storage: Medium |
| Golden Delicious: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking),
salad, freezing Storage: Long |
| Granny Smith: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking),
salad Storage: Long |
| Jonafree: Fresh eating Storage: Long |
| Jonagold: Fresh eating Storage: Medium |
| Jonalicious: Fresh eating Storage: Long |
| Jonamac: Fresh eating Storage: Long |
| Jonathan: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking),
freezing Storage: Long |
| Liberty: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking), freezing Storage: Long |
| Lodi: Processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Short |
| McIntosh: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Long |
| Mutsu (Crispin): Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking),
salad, freezing Storage: Long |
| Northern Spy: Processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Very long |
| Ozark Gold: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Medium |
| Prima: Fresh eating Storage: Short |
| Priscilla: Fresh eating Storage: Short |
| Red Delicious: Fresh eating, salad Storage: Long |
| Redfree: Fresh eating Storage: Short |
| Rome Beauty: Processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Long |
| Sirprize: Fresh eating Storage: Medium |
| Spartan: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Long |
| Williams Pride: Fresh eating Storage: Short |
| Winesap: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Very long |
| York: Fresh eating, processing (sauce, pies, baking) Storage: Very long |
