Honeycrisp
| Honeycrisp | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | HoneyCrunch |
|
|
| Art | Cultivated apple ( Malus domestica ) |
| origin | University of Minnesota , United States |
| breeder | University of Minnesota |
| Breeding year | 1962 |
| Launch | 1991 |
| ancestry | |
|
Cross of |
|
| List of apple varieties | |
_jm58128.jpg)
Honeycrisp , also sold under the brand name Honeycrunch , is a variety of the cultivated apple . The variety was bred at the University of Minnesota in 1962 and launched on the market in 1991.
In the United States in particular, Honeycrisp proved to be a great success. It is now one of the top 3 varieties in the USA and is one of the few common varieties whose cultivation area has increased significantly in recent years. Honeycrisp triggered a wave of new varieties that are in the process of displacing the Golden Delicious and Red Delicious varieties that have dominated the US market for decades . Honeycrisp is primarily characterized by its juiciness and sweetness, but it is difficult to grow and loses its aroma when stored for a long time.
Honeycrisp is marketed as a club variety under the brand name Honeycrunch . The rights to the name are owned by the University of Minnesota. Growers who want to use the name not only have to pay a license fee, they also have to meet certain conditions in terms of cultivation and the quality of the apples sold in this way.
properties
The fruits are medium to large in size.
The peel of the apple is yellowish-green with a very pronounced red color. If the apple grows under strong sunlight, this red can turn pink. There is little russeting.
The flesh is white to pale yellow. What is particularly noteworthy about the pulp is the crunchiness and juiciness that gave the apple its name ( English crisp = dt. Crunchy ). For newer breeds, this crispness is still considered the standard to be achieved. The effect is caused by the very large cells that the apple has. If you bite into the apple, the cells are burst open and the juice is released. With many other varieties, you separate the individual cells from one another when you bite them, the taste is less crunchy and juicy.
In terms of taste, the apple is primarily sweet with less pronounced acidity or complexity.
history
The University of Minnesota raised the apple in 1962. It was located in Block 53 of the University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center, near Excelsior, Minn, according to the university's patent. In row 1 it was tree 88.
She gave it the designation MN1711 in 1974 and finally patented the apple in 1988. Originally, she stated that she had bred it from the common Macoun variety and its own Honeygold (Golden Delicious x Haralson) variety , a claim that is still in the apple literature is widespread. Recent genetic studies by the university have shown that it is actually a cross between Keepsake and the breeding cross MN1627 ( Charlamowsky x Golden Delicious). The apple was primarily bred for cultivation in cold climates with pronounced winters. The university introduced Honeycrisp in 1991. By 2003 it had reached a few weekly markets in the US, as well as delis. It had not yet found widespread use.
Because of the high prices that can be achieved for the apple on the market, it was also given the informal nickname Moneycrisp . With the proceeds that the university itself received from licensing the apple, several million US dollars a year, it financed, among other things, the Itasca supercomputer , which was the 67 fastest computer on earth when it went into operation in 2009, and which was then informally also the Giant Apple Computer was called.
In 2015, Honeycrisp, together with Ambrosia and Jazz, was one of the three common apple varieties whose acreage was steadily increasing, while all other varieties, especially Golden Delicious and Red Delicious, steadily declined in acreage. It is still particularly widespread in the northern USA. The main growing areas are Washington, Minnesota and New England. In 2017 it was one of the top 3 varieties in the USA, with it already being the most widespread variety in the most important growing area, Washington State. Even so, it was still possible to sell for two to three times the price of other apple varieties.
Cultivation
Honeycrisp is notorious for how time-consuming and complicated it is to grow. Several breeders refer to it as the most difficult strain to grow. In commercial cultivation, this means that the production of apples is about two to three times as expensive as the cultivation of other common varieties. The apple is sensitive to heat as well as to shocks and has a pronounced alternation . Honeycrisp tends to produce a lot of fruit, so it needs more thinning than other varieties. The tree itself tends to grow poorly. The wood is brittle, so Honeycrisp will often break off where it is attached to a supporting post.
The apple is typically ready for harvest in early September.
The storage properties are also difficult because the apple loses its aroma after a relatively short time. Also unusual for a variety that was only introduced in the late 20th century is its susceptibility to bruising, which means that Honeycrisp is rarely sold in bulk. This also makes the harvest much more time-consuming, as the apples usually have to be carefully placed individually during harvest.
It is sensitive to powdery mildew and fire blight . He is very susceptible to speck . Up to a quarter of the harvested apples, and according to some studies even more, show the brown and black points of the speck. These do not make it dangerous to eat apples, but they do deter customers and make the apple unsaleable as a table apple.
Breeds and Mutants
Honeycrisp cultivars that are just about to hit the market include Cosmic Crisp (Honeycrisp x Enterprise ) and the SweeTango, which was introduced by the University of Minnesota in 2008 and is already grown in Europe .
In recent years some mutants have also come onto the market such as Royal Red, Firestorm and Cameron Select, which turn red more easily and quickly and also turn red in less favorable growing conditions. This is controversial among the breeders themselves - the red color was a good indicator of whether the apple grew up under good conditions and tasted accordingly - now variants can come onto the market that still look good but no longer have developed the taste. There is also the risk that unripe apples will be picked because they already look ripe.
Remarks
- ↑ a b c d e f g David Karp: Beyond the Honeycrisp Apple . In: The New York Times . November 3, 2015, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Orange Pippin: Apple - Honeycrisp - tasting notes, identification, reviews. Retrieved February 21, 2018 .
- ^ C. Claiborne Ray: The Secret to a Really Crisp Apple . In: The New York Times . March 3, 2017, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
- ↑ a b c Dan Nosowitz: America's New Favorite Apple, the Honey Crisp, Has a Problem - Modern Farmer . In: Modern Farmer . November 3, 2017 ( modernfarmer.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
- ↑ a b Florence Fabricant: FOOD STUFF; Bob for This, and You Might Need a Neck Brace . In: The New York Times . October 22, 2003, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
- ^ Paul R. Cabe et al: Using Microsatellite Analysis to Verify Breeding Records: A study of 'Honeycrisp' and Other Cold-hardy Apple Cultivars . In: HortScience . tape 40 , no. 1 , February 2005, p. 15-17 .
- ↑ Ashlee Vance: BITS; A supercomputer Fueled by Apples . In: The New York Times . December 14, 2009, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
- ^ Claudine Ko: Is the Honeycrisp Apple Engineered to Fail? In: WIRED . ( wired.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
- ↑ a b c Christina Herrick: The Dark Side Of Honeycrisp . In: Growing Produce . January 27, 2015 ( growingproduce.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
- ↑ Geraldine Warner: Honeycrisp: Don't kill the golden goose . In: Good Fruit Grower . January 30, 2014 ( goodfruit.com [accessed February 21, 2018]).
