Cider apple cultivar selection

Cultivar selection is foundational to the success of any orchard. It is a major challenge for cider apple growers, as we are just starting to learn which cider cultivars are adapted to our variable climates in the Western United States. Historically, bittersweet and bittersharp apples, popular for cider production, have been grown in milder climates than the Intermountain West. Harsh winters and short growing seasons may leave trees vulnerable to cold injury or unable to ripen high quality fruit. Traditional cider growing regions in Europe also have different disease pressure, resulting in cultivars that may be more susceptible to common diseases in new growing regions. For example, in cool, maritime climates of traditional European cider production, fire blight rarely occurs since it’s almost never warm enough during bloom to produce fire blight infection. However, many popular cider cultivars are highly susceptible to fire blight, a deadly disease of pome fruits, throughout much of the Intermountain West.

With input from growers and cider makers, the Western Ag Research Center (WARC) has initiated several trials of cider cultivars to evaluate apples for cider production in the Intermountain West. Between 2016 and 2021, the following cultivars have been planted and subsequently evaluated for production in Montana: Ashmead’s Kernel, Binet Rouge, Bulmer’s Norman, Chisel Jersey, Dabinett, Hewe’s Virginia Crab, Harrison, Golden Russet, Major, Marie Mendard, Muscadette de Dieppe, and Wickson. In 2021, Chisel Jersey, Dabinett, Ashmead’s Kernel, and Golden Russet were replaced with Bedan, Hewe’s Virginia Crab, and Domaines, due to the total loss of these trees in October 2020’s cold snap (see Summary of 2020 Cider Apple Cold Injury). Once these new cultivars reach production they will similarly be evaluated alongside others in our trials. For more information on other cultivars commonly grown in the Intermountain West, see WARC’s summary of a grower survey conducted in 2019, Performance of Cider Apples Cultivars in the Intermountain West.

WARC Cider Cultivar Evaluations

Following are fruit quality, harvest and growth summaries for cultivars grown in WARC’s trials as well as juice quality characteristics for Kingston Black and Golden Russet, popular cider cultivars grown nearby in partnering orchards. Tables and figures are provided to allow direct comparisons between cultivars.

Winners and Losers

According to our planting trials, working with growers, and the 2019 Growers’ Survey, the following cultivars have been identified as reliable cultivars for orchards in the Intermountain West:

  • Bittersharp: Hewe’s Virginia Crabapple, and Porter’s Perfection
  • Bittersweet: Binet Rouge and Muscadette de Dieppe
  • Sweet/Sharp: Wickson (sharp), as well as several fresh market apples including MacIntosh, Wealthy, Cortland, Northern Spy, Jonathan, and Whitney. Some of these “dessert” apples often fall into the category of sharp.

Cider cultivars were evaluated for juice quality, yield, and maturity at harvest. Additional notes were recorded for vigor, cold hardiness, and fire blight susceptibility; however, this information is currently qualitative, as more data are necessary to provide a statistically accurate comparison of cultivars. Data collection began for most cultivars in 2019 and will be updated as evaluation continues. Where multiple years of data are available, averages are reported. Years are missing for some cultivars, as they were either not in production or were damaged by cold injury and could not be evaluated. To compare cider cultivars grown in Corvallis MT, to established trees in the pacific northwest, visit WSU’s Cider Cultivar Performance Database at https://cider.wsu.edu/ciderweb/.

Juice Quality

Data collection began in 2019. All data represent averages; however, for some cultivars, only one or two years of data are available. In 2020, percent total tannic acid was determined using the Lowenthal- Permanganate (L-P) method at WSU's Mt. Vernon Cider Lab. This was to allow for classification of apples using the traditional English system developed at the Long Ashton Research Station in the UK (Table 1). This system classifies apples into four categories based on percent total tannic acid using the L-P method and total acid (percent malic acid). Growing conditions and climate can influence how an apple is classified (Alexander et al., 2016; Mendrey et al. 2020).

Table 1. Classification of cider apple juice based on % tannins and % total acidity. This classification system was developed at the Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) located in the United Kingdom and uses the Lowenthal-Permanganate method of determining tannins (Alexander et al., 2016; Barker, 1953).
Sharp
Low Tannin < 0.2*
High Acid > 0.45%
Bittersharp
High Tannin > 0.2%
High Acid > 0.45%
Sweet
Low Tannin < 0.2%
Low Acid < 0.45%
Bittersweet
High Tannin > 0.2%
Low Acid < 0.45%

All other juice analyses were performed in WARC's laboratory. All cultivars were grown at WARC in Corvallis, MT unless otherwise noted. For non-producing cultivars in 2020, % tannic acid is unavailable; however, total tannins (mg/L) and total phenolics (mg/L) (using the Harbertson assay), are compared in Figures 1 and 2, allowing for relative comparisons with other cultivars.

Table 2. Juice quality characteristics of cider apples grown at WARC and in neighboring orchards.
Cultivar
% Malic Acid
% Tannic Acid (L-P)
Brix
pH
Classification*
Orchard
Binet Rouge
0.33
0.46
19.7
4.5
Bittersweet
WARC
Bulmer's Norman
0.36
0.82
16.1
4.13
Bittersweet
WARC
Chisel Jersey
0.40
1.05
18.7
4.44
Bittersweet
WARC
Dabinett
0.36
0.76
20.2
4.5
Bittersweet
WARC
Golden Russet
0.84
0.22
18.2
3.5
Sharp/Bittersharp
Stevensville
Harrison
1.26
No data
18.3
3.36
NA
WARC
Hewe's Virginia Crab
1.23
0.52
21.0
3.56
Bittersharp
WARC
Kingston Black
0.94
0.32
16.0
3.4
Bittersharp
Darby
Major
0.46
0.38
22.2
4.41
Bittersweet
WARC
Marie Menard
0.36
0.83
20.3
4.54
Bittersweet
WARC
Muscadette de Dieppe
0.28
0.39
18.7
4.47
Bittersweet
WARC
Wickson
1.70
No data
17.1
3.3
NA
WARC

*Classification can change based on growing conditions and orchard management.

 

Column chart showing average total tannins (mg/L) for the cider cultivars. Values ranged from Marie Menard, with the highest tannin content at between 2000 and 2500, and Wickson, with the lowest tannin content at slightly higher than zero.

column chart showing average total phenolics (mg/L) for cider cultivars. Wickson had the lowest at around 250; Marie Menard had the highest at around 6500

Figures 1 and 2. Average total tannins (mg/L) and total phenolics (mg/L) for cider cultivars grown in Montana. Data represent cultivars grown between 2019 and 2021 at the WARC, unless otherwise noted. Letters indicate statistical differences between cultivars (Total tannins: p=7.87E-25 ; Total phenolics p=5.29E-26).

Bloom Data

Full bloom dates are provided in cultivar summaries. Following is a table with average dates when a majority of trees had reached a certain bloom stage. Cultivars are classified as early, mid to late blooming. Data were collected between 2019 and 2021. Bloom date is important when considering spring frost risk and certain pest management decisions, particularly fire blight. Later blooming cultivars tend to be more susceptible to fire blight.

Table 3. Bloom timing of various cider apple cultivars at WARC.
Cultivar
Green tip
First pink
Full pink
Full bloom
Petal fall
Bloom timing
Ashmead's Kernel
20-Apr
4-May
11-May
18-May
4-Jun
mid
Binet Rouge
9-May
11-May
18-May
25-May
4-Jun
late
Bulmer's Norman
27-Apr
7-May
11-May
25-May
30-May
late
Chisel Jersey
30-Apr
11-May
18-May
25-May
30-May
late
Dabinett
2-May
11-May
18-May
27-May
4-Jun
late
Golden Russet
9-Apr
27-Apr
9-May
14-May
29-May
early
Harrison
16-Apr
30-Apr
7-May
14-May
21-May
mid
Hewe's Virginia Crab
8-Apr
23-Apr
30-Apr
4-May
16-May
early
Major
20-Apr
5-May
11-May
21-May
30-May
mid
Marie Menard
23-Apr
11-May
18-May
21-May
30-May
mid
Muscadette de Dieppe
23-Apr
1-May
7-May
18-May
25-May
mid
Wickson
5-Apr
30-Apr
11-May
14-May
21-May
early

Harvest data

Most of the cultivars evaluated at WARC were grafted in 2017, with the exception of Hewe’s Virginia Crab and Bulmer’s Norman which were planted as nursery trees in spring 2016. Harvest data collection began on all trees when they reached their fourth leaf in 2019 and 2021 respectively. In addition to yield (lbs/acre and bins/acre), harvest date and maturity using Cornell’s Starch-Iodine Index are reported. Several cultivars have yet to ripen (starch index<6) in the orchard prior to harvest, however, all still have Brix above 16 and even 20 despite low Starch-Iodine Index values (see Table 2). Based on yield in trees fourth year alone, Hewe’s and Binet Rouge on G935 rootstock are statistically higher yielding than all other cultivars. Muscadette de Dieppe and Wickson, yield slightly less but still significantly higher than other cultivars (Figure 3). Additional notes on harvest ease, fruit drop and fruit quality are included in cultivar descriptions. For more information on the importance of yield to profitability visit https://www.goodfruit.com/figuring-out-profitability/.

Table 4. Comparison of yield (bins/acre) in cider cultivars grown at WARC.
Cultivar
Tree age (years)
Rootstock
Bins/acre1
Harvest date2
Harvest

Maturity at harvest (average S-I Index)2

Binet Rouge
4
EMLA 106
3.42
10/6/2021
late
4.4
Binet Rouge
4
M26
4.47
10/6/2021
late
2.1
Bulmer'sNorman
4
G41
4.38
10/3/2019
late
4.8
Bulmer's Norman3
6
G41
6.1
9/18/2021
mid
7
Harrison
4
EMLA 106
1.09
10/6/2021
late
no data
Harrison4
4
G935
2
10/6/2021
late
3
Hewe's Virginia Crab
4
G41
8.93
9/18/2019
early
7.6
Hewe's Virginia Crab
6
G4
15.5
9/7/2021
early
7.6
Major3
4
M26
0.47
9/18/2021
mid
6.8
Marie Menard4
4
M26
1.23
10/6/2021
late
2.8
Muscadette de Dieppe
4
M26
5.42
10/6/2021
late
5.9
Wickson
4
G11
5.45
10/6/2021
late
1.7

1Bins/acre is estimated based on fruit harvested from three trees assuming 800lbs/bin.

2Harvest dates are provided in addition to Cornell's Starch-Iodine (S-I) Index at harvest. Many late season bittersweet apples ripen too late in the orchard as indicated by low Starch-Iodine Index ratings.

3Cultivars with greater than 50% damage from winter injury fall 2020.

4Cultivars with 10-50% damage from winter injury fall 2020.

average yield (lbs/tree)

Figure 3. Average yields in lbs/tree at tree ages 4-6 years. Production data began at four years of age for all cultivars, hence only Bulmer’s Norman and Hewe’s Virginia Crab have multiple years of data. Winter injury to Bulmer’s Norman occurred during Year 6. No significant increase between Year 4 and Year 5 was likely due to Bulmer’s Norman being strongly biennial bearing. Hewe’s annual production increased 33% between Year 5 and Year 6, Bulmer’s increased 56% between the same two years despite winter injury, however 75% of Bulmer’s Norman trees have been lost completely to winter injury or fire blight since planting.

*Cultivars with greater than 50% damage from winter injury in fall 2020.

**Cultivars with 10-50% damage from winter injury in fall 2020.

Fruit Weight

Fruit weight is an important factor when considering harvest ease. Small fruit like Wickson and Hewe’s Virginia Crab are great from an orchard management perspective and have desirable fruit quality for cider makers but they can be difficult to manually pick increasing labor costs. Below is a comparison of fruit weight for apples harvested at the station and in nearby orchards (Figure 4).

average fruit weight

Figure 4. Average fruit weight (g) for cultivars grown at WARC or in nearby orchards. Significance differences noted by lettering (p< 0.05). Fruit weights for Dabinett and Chisel Jersey are only for 2020, prior to trees being killed by winter injury. Similarly, data was only collected for Tom Putt in 2021. For all other cultivars, averages represent data from two to three years of harvests depending on tree age.

Juice Yields

While fruit weight is an important consideration for ease of harvest, juice yield should be considered as well. Large fruit may be dry or high in pectin reducing overall yields relative to slightly smaller or similarly sized fruit. Trees in this harvest are still young and harvests are low for allowing comparison of juice yields using the grower standard 40 L bladder press. Juice yield information will be posted when larger harvests are available to allow for more consistent and comparable data.

Cultivars

The cultivars included below represent trees grown and evaluated at the WARC as part of our cider apple research program.

Binet Rouge
English classification
bittersweet
Tannin (% TA L-P)
0.46
Acid (% malic acid)
0.33
pH
4.5
Brix
19.7
Fruit weight (g)
54.8
Vigor
Low
Full bloom date
5/25
Yield
moderate to high
Cold hardiness
high
Fire blight susceptibility
high
Additional Management Notes: Binet Rouge is a small stature tree that produces prolifically in bearing years and must be thinned to reduce fruit load and biennial bearing. It is highly susceptible to fire blight and should be managed carefully to reduce risk of infection. Binet Rouge, while not extremely vigorous, does produce several branches with good angles for training on either a trellis or as a standalone tree. Four years after planting, it has yet to reach the top wire in WARC’s high density trellis system on both G935 and M26 rootstock.
Bulmer's Norman
English classification
bittersweet
Tannin (% TA L-P)
0.82
Acid (% malic acid)
0.36
pH
4.13
Brix
16.1
Fruit weight (g)
100.4
Vigor
low
Full bloom date
5/25
Yield
moderate
Cold hardiness
moderate
Fire blight susceptibility
high
Additional Management Notes: Bulmer’s Norman is susceptible to fire blight, micronutrient deficiencies, blind wood and premature fruit drop. While it produces large fruit, the fruit does not ripen before over 50% has dropped. In 2020 fruit drop was calculated to be 55% of crop with average Starch-Iodine Index of 4.8 in harvested fruit indicating fruit was not yet ripe. While yields are increasing in trees still producing, 75% of trees have been pruned to a new bud or completely lost due to fire blight or cold injury.
Chisel Jersey
English classification
bittersweet
Tannin (% TA L-P)
1.05
Acid (% malic acid)
0.40
pH
4.44
Brix
18.7
Fruit weight (g)
134.3
Vigor
moderate
Full bloom date
5/25
Yield
no data available;
winter-killed prior to data collection
Cold hardiness
low
Fire blight susceptibility
high
Additional Management Notes: Chisel Jersey is a late ripening bittersweet apple. Data from WARC’s cultivar trial is limited as all Chisel Jersey trees in WARC’s trial died in 2020 due to cold injury (see Summary of 2020 Cider Apple Cold Injury). While older Chisel Jersey trees survived in other locations, over 50% of branches on surviving trees succumbed to cold injury.
Dabinett
English classification
bittersweet
Tannin (% TA L-P)
0.76
Acid (% malic acid)
0.36
pH
4.5
Brix
20.2
Fruit weight (g)
82.4
Vigor
moderate
Full bloom date
4/27
Yield
no data available;
winter-killed prior to data collection
Cold hardiness
low
Fire blight susceptibility
high

Additional Management Notes: Like Chisel Jersey, Dabinett is a late ripening bittersweet apple that did not survive cold temperatures in October 2020 (see Summary of 2020 Cider Apple Cold Injury. While this was a unique event (coldest temperatures recorded since a previous record of -4F in 1917), cold injury has been reported in other locations and it is not recommended for production in Montana.

Harrison
English classification
sharp
Tannin (% TA L-P)
no data available
Acid (% malic acid)
1.26
pH
3.36
Brix
18.3
Fruit weight (g)
82.4
Vigor
low to high
Full bloom date
5/14
Yield
low to moderate
Cold hardiness
moderate
Fire blight susceptibility
moderate

Additional Management Notes: Harrison is a sharp apple originally cultivated in the United States. It has struggled at WARC due to cold injury, particularly in G935 compared to Emla 106. Vigor is inconsistent within and between trees with some branches very vigorous and others not at all. Harrison has an extremely upright growth habit developing a narrow canopy that can be difficult to train.

Hewe's Virginia Crab
English classification
bittersharp (often classified as sharp)
Tannin (% TA L-P)
0.53
Acid (% malic acid)
1.23
pH
3.56
Brix
21
Fruit weight (g)
37.7
Vigor
very high
Full bloom date
5/4
Yield
high
Cold hardiness
high
Fire blight susceptibility
low

Additional Management Notes: Hewe’s Virginia Crab is a sharp to bittersharp crabapple with many qualities for a superb cider cultivar in the Intermountain West. It is both cold and fire blight tolerant. It consistently produces high yields of ripe fruit. The challenges in growing Hewe’s are the fruit can be difficult to harvest as they are medium sized crabapples and the extremely vigorous trees can be challenging to maintain a balance between vegetative growth and fruiting wood.

Marie Menard
English classification
bittersweet
Tannin (% TA L-P)
0.83
Acid (% malic acid)
0.36
pH
4.54
Brix
20.3
Fruit weight (g)
91.6
Vigor
low
Full bloom date
5/21
Yield
low
Cold hardiness
moderate
Fire blight susceptibility
high

Additional Management Notes: Marie Menard is a bittersweet apple with low vigor and yield but the highest tannins of all bitter apples grown at WARC. It is highly susceptible to fire blight and did experience some cold injury in 2020.

Muscadette de Dieppe
English classification
bittersweet
Tannin (% TA L-P)
0.39
Acid (% malic acid)
0.28
pH
4.47
Brix
18.7
Fruit weight (g)
93.6
Vigor
moderate
Full bloom date
5/18
Yield
moderate
Cold hardiness
high
Fire blight susceptibility
moderate

Additional Management Notes: Muscadette de Dieppe is a late ripening bittersweet apple. It is not as bitter as other cultivars but has lower susceptibility to fire blight and is more cold tolerant than other bittersweet cultivars with higher tannins grown at the station.

Wickson
English classification
sharp
Tannin (% TA L-P)
no data available, but total tannins and phenols low. See Figs. 1 and 2.
Acid (% malic acid)
1.70
pH
3.3
Brix
17.1
Fruit weight (g)
34.1
Vigor
moderate
Full bloom date
5/14
Yield
moderate
Cold hardiness
high
Fire blight susceptibility
low

Additional Management Notes: Wickson is a late ripening flavorful sharp crabapple. It produces consistently on spurs and only presents significant management challenges at harvest due to the small fruit.

References

Alexander, Travis & King, Jacqueline & Zimmerman, Andrew & Miles, Carol. (2016). Regional Variation in Juice Quality Characteristics of Four Cider Apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.) Cultivars in Northwest and Central Washington. HortScience. 51. 1498-1502. 10.21273/HORTSCI11209-16.

Mendrey, Katrina, Miller, Z., Darling, A., (2020). Performance of Cider Apple Cultivars in the Intermountain West. https://agresearch.montana.edu/warc/research_current/apples.