Early-ripening apple variety Huashuo expected to replace Gala
Original headline: Early-ripening apple "Huashuo" expected to end "Gala"'s monopoly; experts have reached a consensus
New early-ripening apple variety "Huashuo" from the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute (file photo source: Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences)
"Gala" apple (online illustration)
According to the latest news from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the new disease-resistant, high-quality, early-to-mid-season apple variety "Huashuo", bred by the apple breeding research group of the academy's Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, has passed national forest tree variety approval; it single-handedly changed the situation in which domestic early-to-mid-season apples were mainly dominated by the foreign variety "Gala", and is expected to replace "Gala" as the main cultivar of early-to-mid-season apples in China.
It is reported that "Huashuo" was bred by crossing "Meiba" and "Huaguan". This variety ripens early and has large fruit: it ripens in early August in central China, close to the ripening period of "Gala"; the single fruit weight is 241 grams, and the fruit size is comparable to the late-ripening variety Fuji. It has a long shelf life: the fruit can be stored at room temperature for about 30 days without the flesh becoming mealy, and can be stored under refrigeration for 3 months, with storability far exceeding all varieties ripening in the same period; fresh fruit sales can extend from early August all the way through the Double Festival period. It does not drop fruit before harvest, overcoming the pre-harvest fruit drop shortcoming common to early-ripening varieties, and the fruit can be harvested early or harvested in a concentrated manner after full ripening. Suitable planting areas include Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Yunnan and other regions; it can be planted as a replacement variety for "Gala", and can also be planted as a pollinator variety for main cultivars such as Fuji.
Since 2008, "Huashuo" has been subjected to multi-site regional trials and demonstrations at test stations of the apple industry technology system in Yantai, Yuncheng, Baoji, Sanmenxia, Shijiazhuang, Shangqiu, Yili, Zhaotong and other locations, and the cumulative promotion area nationwide has exceeded 30,000 mu. Starting in 2012, it has been listed as a main recommended variety by multiple test stations. Regarding the ability of "Huashuo" to replace or partially replace the "Gala" variety, industry experts have basically reached a consensus. (Reporter Qu Jian)