Spartan (apple)

The 'Spartan' is an apple cultivar developed by Dr. R. C Palmer and introduced in 1936 from the Federal Agriculture Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia, now known as the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre - Summerland.[1] The 'Spartan' is notable for being the first new breed of apple produced from a formal scientific breeding program.[2] The apple was supposed to be a cross between two North American cultivars, the 'McIntosh' and the 'Newtown Pippin', but recently, genetic analysis showed the 'Newtown Pippin' was not one of the parents and its identity remains a mystery. The 'Spartan' apple is considered a good all-purpose apple.[3] The apple is of medium size and has a bright-red blush, but can have background patches of greens and yellows.[4]

'Spartan'
GenusMalus
SpeciesMalus pumila
Hybrid parentage'McIntosh' × Unknown
Cultivar'Spartan'
OriginSummerland, British Columbia, Canada, 1936

Disease susceptibility

  • Scab: high[5]
  • Powdery mildew: high
  • Cedar apple rust: high
  • Fire blight: medium

Sports and descendants

  • 'Hunter Spartan', a tetraploid form of 'Spartan'

References

  1. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. "Summerland - History The 20s and 30s". Retrieved March 13, 2007.
  2. Orange Pippin. "Spartan apple". Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  3. Science Canada. "Spartan Apples". Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. Galetta Nurseries. "Apple Trees". Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  5. Dr. Stephen Miller of the USDA Fruit Research Lab in Kearneysville, West Virginia.
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