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FREEDOM: A NEW DISEASE-RESISTANT APPLE 



William J. Manning and Daniel R. Cooley 

 Department of Plant Pathology 



The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva has released a 

 new disease-resistant apple named Freedom. The new cultivar is described by Professor 

 Robert C. Lamb, Freedom's originator, as a "very productive, large attractive apple 

 of good quality that can be used either for the fresh market or for processing." Like 

 Liberty, Freedom (formerly NY58553-1) is immune to apple scab and moderately 

 resistant to powdery mildew, but slightly less resistant to cedar apple rust and fire 

 blight than Liberty. 



Freedom blooms at midseason in Geneva and has been shown to be a good pollen 

 source for other cultivars. Fruit ripen with Delicious, around October 5 at Geneva. 

 They are described as being large (3g in.), oblate, with 80% bright red stripes over 

 yellow background. The fruit are medium fine, firm, tender and juicy, subacid, with 

 cream-colored flesh. Freedom will hold in normal refrigerated storage until January. 



Freedom will be available (patent is pending) through licensed nurseries or from 

 the New York State Fruit Testing Cooperative, Geneva, N.Y. 14456. We plan to add 

 it to our disease-resistant test block at Belchertown. 



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PERFORMANCE OF DISEASE-RESISTANT APPLES 



William J. Manning and Daniel R. Cooley 

 Department of Plant Pathology 



In 1978, we planted a block of disease-resistant apples at the Horticultural Research 

 Center at Belchertown. Fungicides have never been used in this block and only a 

 minimal insecticide program has been followed. Fruit were harvested for the first 

 time in 1982 and observations made and cultivar descriptions were published in FRUIT 

 NOTES (Vol. 48 No. 1, Winter, 1983, pp. 6-8). 



Performance evaluations of the disease-resistant cultivars were continued in 1983. 

 Disease pressure was high in the spring due to long periods of cool wet weather and 

 near drought conditions and high temperatures were experienced during the summer. 



During the second week in August, leaves were examined for symptoms of black 

 rot (frog-eye leaf spot) ( Physalospora obtusa ), cedar apple rust ( Gymnosporangium 

 juniperi-Virginianae), and scab (Venturia inaequalia). Twenty five leaves, on randomly- 

 selected terminals, were evaluated on each of 3 trees. Leaves were counted as having 

 significant symptoms if 2 or more spots of black rot, cedar apple rust or scab were 

 observed per leaf. Results were expressed as % of leaves with symptoms per 75 leaves 

 examined (Table 1). 



