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Minimum descriptors specific to Malus

A minimum descriptor list for Malus was proposed at the first meeting of the ECP/GR Malus/Pyrus working group (R. Janes in L. Maggioni et al., 1998, Report of a Working Group on Malus/Pyrus). The proposed list was compiled using

Some of the suggested reference cultivars are question marked, comments or suggestions for more suitable reference cultivars would be welcome.

Malus specific fruit descriptors

Time of fruit ripening for eating (harvest maturity)

State Harvest maturity Reference cultivars
1 very early Close, White Transparent?
3 early Jerseymac, Paulared?, Tydeman’s Early Worcester?
5 medium Golden Delicious, Cox’s Orange Pippin?
7 late Fuji, Northern Spy?, Blaxtayman?, Jonagold?
9 very late Granny Smith, Rome Beauty?

Scores of 2, 4, 6 and 8 may be used for intermediate varieties.

Crowning at calyx end of fruit

State Crowning at apex Reference cultivars
1 Absent or very weak Charles Ross
3 Weak Cox’s Orange Pippin, Beauty of Bath?
5 Medium Mutsu
7 Strong Red Delicious
9 Very strong Cox’s Pomona

Scores of 2, 4, 6 and 8 may be used for intermediate varieties.

Fruit size

State Fruit Size Reference Cultivars UPOV Reference cultivars IBPGR
1 very small Golden Harvey Malus spp.
2 very small to small Api Noir Api
3 small Miller’s Seedling Pigeon, Beauty of Bath
4 small to medium Alkmene Discovery, Cox’s Orange Pippin
5 medium Cox’s Orange Pippin Golden Delicious
6 medium to large Gravensteiner Holsteiner Cox, Lobo
7 large Mutsu Belle de Boskoop
8 large to very large Bramley’s Seedling Bramley’s Seedling, Mutsu
9 very large Howgate Wonder Howgate Wonder

Fruit shape

State Fruit Shape UPOV Reference Cultivars
1 globose Golden Noble
2 globose-conical Cox’s Orange Pippin
3 broad-globose-conical Laxton’s Fortune
4 flat Court Pendu Plat
5 flat-globose Bramley’s Seedling, Idared
6 conical Adam’s Pearmain
7 narrow conical Kent, Norfolk Royal
8 truncate conical Kidd’s Orange Red
9 ellipsoid Spencer
10 ellipsoid conical (ovoid) Summerred
11 oblong Gravensteiner, Mustu
12 oblong-conical Close, Catshead

Colour of fruit skin ground (if visible)

State Ground Colour Reference cultivars
1 yellow Golden Delicious, Alderman?, Wyken Pippin?
2 whitish yellow Transparent de Croncels, Melba?, Keswick Codlin?
3 green yellow Cox’s Orange Pippin
4 whitish green White Transparent
5 green Granny Smith
6 orange Highview Pippin?
7 red Baskatong?

Amount of over colour on fruit skin

State Over Colour Coverage Reference cultivars
1 absent Granny Smith
3 low Cox’s Orange Pippin
5 medium Gala
7 high Spartan
9 very high New Europe

Scores of 2, 4, 6 and 8 may be used for intermediate varieties.

Over colour of the fully mature fruit skin

State Over Colour Reference cultivars
1 orange Egremont Russet, Alice
2 pink Khoroshavka Alaya
3 red Jonathon
4 dark red Court Pendu Plat, Starking
5 purple Spartan
6 brown Lord Burghley

Pattern of over colour on fruit skin

State Over Colour Pattern Reference cultivars
1 solid flush Richared Delicious
2 striped Jupiter
3 mottled Elstar
4 washed out (faded) Gloster

Malus specific flower descriptors

Time of beginning of flowering (10% open flowers)

State Season of Flowering Reference cultivars
1 very early Ein-Shemer, Anna?, Gravenstein?
3 early Idared, Belle de Boskoop, Jerseymac
5 medium Cox’s Orange Pippin, Golden Delicious
7 late Court Pendu Plat, Gloster 69, Northern Spy
9 very late Feuillemorte, Spatbluhender Taffetapfel

Scores of 2, 4, 6 and 8 may be used for intermediate varieties.

Flower colour at pre-balloon stage

State Bud Colour Reference cultivars
1 white Cox’s Pomona
2 yellowish & pink Herenhut
3 light pink Gravensteiner
4 dark pink Sylvia
5 red Kidd’s Orange Red
6 purple Rafzubin

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{} nfc@ic.ac.uk Last updated 23 November 2001