Breeding Program Outline
The Washington State University apple breeding program began in 1994 to develop new varieties suitable to the unique climate of central Washington. Washington is the leading apple producing state with over 50% of U.S. production. Unfortunately, many of the new varieties developed in the world are not well adapted to growing conditions in central Washington or available to the majority of Washington growers.
The goal is to produce apples of a high eating quality with particular factors of outstanding flavor, texture and juiciness. The breeding program is a traditional breeding program, hybridizing parents with desirable traits. Promising seedlings are selected from large populations and their fruit is evaluated in the laboratory for eating quality and suitability for long-term storage. This program is one of the 12 core US breeding programs of the SCRI RosBREED project, enabling the application of marker-assisted breeding within the 4 years of the project.
The first release from the program, ‘WA 2’, was offered to Washington State growers for evaluation in December 2009. Several other elite selections have been planted in commercial grower trials in central Washington.
The majority of the support for this program comes from the Washington apple industry through the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.
