The 'Prima' apple is one of the modern disease resistant
cultivar
A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
s of domesticated
apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
which was bred by the
PRI disease resistant apple breeding program in 1958.
[Eat Like no One Else]
/ref> The disease resistance against apple scab has since been broken.
Like other "PRI" apples it is of complex ancestry to ensure the utmost disease resistance and various cultivation advantages, along with a fresh vibrant flavor. Its ancestry includes the 'Rome Beauty
The Rome apple (also known as Red Rome, Rome Beauty, Gillett's Seedling) is a cooking apple originating near Rome Township, Lawrence County, Ohio, Rome Township, Ohio, in the early 19th century. This apple remains popular for its glossy red color ...
', 'Melba', 'Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious is a cultivar of apple. It is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States. It is not closely related to Red Delicious.
History
Golden Delicious arose from a chance seedling, possibly a hybrid of Grimes ...
' and 'Wealthy' apples, as well as the '' Malus floribunda'' crabapple
''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples.
The genus i ...
for scab resistance. "PRI" is impressed in the cultivars name "PRI"ma.
'Prima' was originally very resistant to apple scab
Apple scab is a common disease of plants in the rose family (Rosaceae) that is caused by the ascomycete fungus ''Venturia inaequalis''. While this disease affects several plant genera, including '' Sorbus, Cotoneaster,'' and '' Pyrus'', it is ...
due to having the Vf gene. However scab has since evolved around that resistance, and 'Prima' apples are now heavily affected by apple scab in regions where the new apple scab has spread to. As such, 'Prima' is no longer a recommended apple variety for garden use without pesticides.[Prima]
by Orange Pippin It does not fall off the tree, and like most early harvest apples, does not keep well, even with refrigeration.[
]
See also
*List of apple cultivars
Over 7,500 cultivars of the culinary or eating apple (''Malus domestica'') are known. Some are extremely important economically as Product (business), commercial products, though the vast majority are not suitable for mass production. In the foll ...
References
External links
National Fruit Collection page
{{Apples, state=collapsed
PRI cultivars