A Critical Time for Change 



Duane W. Greene and Wesley R. Autio 



Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts 



Renewed adverse publicity has increased the like- 

 lihood that Alar^** will not be available for orchard use 

 in the future. Even if results of current tests show that 

 Alar is a safe chemical, registration may be cancelled 

 because of public pressure. The loss of Alar will influ- 

 ence growers of Mcintosh and Stayman most, so these 

 growers must not waste time in making the long-term 

 decisions required to cope with growing apples without 

 Alar. In a previous Fruits Notes article [54(2): 1-3] a 

 number of options were put forth as alternatives to 

 using Alar. The option that we will discuss here is the 

 replacement of Mcintosh with different cultivars. 



There are many new, excellent-quality apple culti- 

 vars now available, and many others are in the early 

 stages of evaluation. The loss of Alar may be ablessing 

 in disguise since there is now incentive to plant new 

 and better-tasting cultivars. Selection of the cultivars 

 to plant may be the most important management 

 decision growers will make in the 1990's. Consistent 

 and sustained increased per capita consumption of 

 apples will not occur with continued planting of Mcin- 

 tosh, Delicious, and Golden Delicious. Itwill only occur 

 when we provide consumers with a wider choice of 

 better-tasting apples that have a longer shelf life than 

 is presently available. In this article we will describe 

 the most viable alternatives to growing Mcintosh. 



Cultivars of Proven Superior Quality 



Where New England Growers May 



Have a Competitive Advantage 



Gala 



Gala is an apple cultivar introduced in New Zeal- 

 and in 1962 by Dr. Donald McKenzie. We previously 

 reported that this cultivar showed promise in New 

 England [Fruit Notes 51(1):12-14]. The planting of 

 Gala is no longer a gamble but a good business decision. 

 It is being planted extensively in the Pacific Northwest 

 and in many other areas in the country. It is estimated 

 that nearly 25% of all apple trees planted in Washing- 

 ton in 1990 will be Gala. In Massachusetts the fruit 

 characteristics and storage potential of Gala were 

 evaluated and compared to Mcintosh in 1988. Taste 

 panelists consistently preferred Gala over Mcintosh. 



Gala is precocious and has shown early, heavy 



production. Trees at the University of Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Research Center (Belchertown) on M.26 

 yielded over 8 bu/tree in their 7"" leaf. Based on a 12- 

 X 22-foot plant spacing there was a potential yield of 

 1386 bu/acre in the 7^ leaf with a cumulative yield of 

 about 3150 bu/acre. Gala is a "grower-friendly" tree 

 with few cultural problems. Limb spreading is proba- 

 bly not necessaiy. However, thinning is necessaiy 

 since Gala fruit size is not large, but trees have not had 

 any apparent tendency toward biennial bearing. 



There are several red-coloring strains of Gala 

 available, and they are described below. Replicated 

 strain trials were established in 1988 at the Horticul- 

 tural Research Center and at Honeypot Hill Orchard 

 (Stowe, MA). We will be reporting on these studies as 

 soon as the trees come into production. 



Kidd'sD-8 . This strain is the original one released 

 in New Zealand in 1962. Based on grower comments 

 from other parts of the country, the flavor of this strain 

 may be better than that of other red-coloring strains. 

 Kidd's D-8 colors well in New England. In our 1988 

 trials it developed red color on up to 80% of the surface. 

 Unlike other cultivars, the nonred portion of Gala 

 turns from green to yellow and finally to a very attrac- 

 tive orange-yellow color, providing a striking feature 

 for customer identification. Based on its appearance 

 from Australia, Italy, and other portions of the USA, we 

 believe that New England may produce the reddest and 

 most attractive Kidd's D-8 Gala. We may have a 

 distinct advantage in grovdng this strain. 



Royal Gala . This strain is the most widely planted, 

 red-coloring strain of Gala. We fruited Royal Gala at 

 the Horticultural Research Center in 1988. It has a 

 distinct red stripe and is much redder than Kidd's D-8. 

 The yellow-orange background color is lacking on this 

 strain. Only time will tell what strain the consumer or 

 marketing chain buyers will prefer. In our estimation 

 the quality and taste of Royal Gala was at least compa- 

 rable to that of Kidd's D-8 in 1988. 



Regal Gala . This strain is ablush type. It has been 

 suggested, but not confirmed, that Regal Gala is more 

 vigorous than Kidd's D-8 and may have superior color, 

 larger fruit size, better flavor, and less firm fruit [Good 

 Fruit Grower 40(7):7, 1989]. 



Imperial Gala . This striped strain is veiy similar to 

 Royal Gala in fruit appearance. 



Fruit Notes, Summer, 1989 



