Zestar!™ — a Paulared Alternative for 

 the Northeast? 



Jon Clements and Duane Greene 



Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts 



Zestar! is a new apple variety introduced m 1999 by 

 the University of Minnesota. It matures with or slightly be- 

 fore Paulared, hence, a comparison of attributes such as fruit 

 quality and taste should be of natural interest to Northeast 

 apple growers. As it turns out, Zestar! may indeed be a good 

 alternative or comphment to Paulared in the Northeast, par- 

 ticularly for roadside markets and farm stands. 



University of Minnesota breeders David Bedford and 

 James Luby's narrative of Zestar! includes: 



Description; Zestar! "^^ is an early season apple 

 that ripens in late August in east-central Minnesota 

 and is notable for cold hardiness and high fruit 

 quality. It likely will be usefiil for commercial apple 

 producers and gardeners in the northern U.S., 

 Canada, and other countries with similar climatic 

 characteristics. 



Origin: This cultivar was raised as a seedling from 

 the cross State Fair x MN 1691 designated as cross 

 AE72 1 4 made in 1 972 at the University of Minne- 

 sota Horticultural Research Center (HRC) near 

 Excelsior, Minnesota. It was propagated by bud- 

 ding or grafting as MN 1 824 for later observations 

 in trial orchards at the HRC, and at the Univ. of 

 Minnesota's West Central and North Central Re- 

 search and Outreach Centers in Morris and Grand 

 Rapids, respectively. 



Season: Zestar! ''^ ripens approximately August 20- 

 26 at Excelsior, MN, approximately one week af- 

 ter State Fair and with Paulared. The fruit adhere 

 well to the tree and can usually be harvested in one 

 or two pickings. 



Fruit: The fruit are globose (blocky round) in shape 

 and have an average diameter of approximately 3 

 inches. The color is 50-85% red stripe depending 

 on exposure to the sun. The stripes may condense 

 into a solid scarlet red in some areas. The flavor is 

 the most notable feature of this variety, being well 

 balanced in acid and sugar content but tasting more 

 sweet than tart. In several years, sensory evalua- 

 tion panels have rated it as the best or among the 

 best evaluated. The texture is crisp and juicy. The 

 flesh color is white but is prone to oxidative brown- 

 ing when the fruit is cut. The storage life of the 

 fruit in ambient atmosphere at 35°F is approxi- 

 mately 7 weeks, which is better than State Fair or 

 Paulared in our tests. 



Tree: The tree form is somewhat upright and vig- 

 orous in early years but attains a spur-type habit 

 and moderate vigor as it matures. Trees have ex- 

 hibited average precocity. Compared to other vari- 

 eties we have tested, it has average susceptibility 

 to apple scab and moderate susceptibility to fire 

 blight tests. The bloom period is relatively early m 

 the season. 



In the short time since its introduction, growers, fruit 

 testers and breeders in the Northeast, Midwest, and North- 

 west have evaluated Zestar!. Here are some of the comments 

 as published by the Pacific Northwest Fruit Testers Asso- 

 ciation: 



SW Wisconsin: "It is a very good apple, but of the 

 30+ trees we planted, all but two have succumbed 

 to fireblight." 



Lower Yakima (WA) Valley: "Our two-year-old 

 tress of our commercial planting of Zestar! gave us 

 our first fruit this year. If picked on the early side of 

 maturity, the flavor is lacking, however, if given a 

 little more time the flavor is improved. In general, 



Fruit Notes, Volume 65, 2000 



17 



