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nafex - [NAFEX] FW: New Apricot Is Early Bloomer

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  • From: "Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>
  • To: NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: Jackie Kuehn <jakuehn@yourinter.net>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] FW: New Apricot Is Early Bloomer
  • Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 07:48:11 -0800



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From: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Reply-To: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:47:59 -0500
To: ARS News subscriber <lonrom@hevanet.com>
Subject: New Apricot Is Early Bloomer

STORY LEAD:
Apache Apricot Trees Take Root at Fruit Ranches
___________________________________________

ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Marcia Wood, (301) 504-1662, MarciaWood@ars.usda.gov
March 25, 2004
___________________________________________

In the rich, fertile soil of California's central valley, some 8,000
young, newly planted Apache apricot trees are taking root, making the
change from treefruit nursery to commercial apricot orchard. The number
of Apache trees in California fruit ranches is impressive because Apache
is a new variety that Agricultural Research Service scientists have only
made available to nurseries, researchers and apricot breeders within the
past two years.

Growers are bringing Apache into their orchards because it ripens
early, about the first week of May. That means it may command the
premium, early-season prices that apricot aficionados are willing to pay
for the first of the long-awaited fruit.

By summer 2006, the new trees should be heavy with sweet, delicious
fruit, ready to harvest and ship to supermarkets. It should arrive in
good shape, because Apache ships and stores well.

Apache is the result of more than a decade of fruit breeding and
testing by ARS geneticist Craig A. Ledbetter and technician Louis
Vuittonet of the agency's Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research
Unit. The unit is part of the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences
Center at Parlier, Calif.

Apache apricots are about average in size, with a delicate flavor and
pleasing aroma. The fruit has an attractive, pinkish-orange skin, with
smooth, finely textured orange flesh that's easy to separate from the
small stone, or pit.

The pollen that Apache needs in order to form its delectable fruit can
be carried by bees or breezes to its blossoms from nearby "pollinator"
apricot trees such as the well-known Castlebrite or Katy varieties. But
Ledbetter and Vuittonet are in the final stages of testing a promising
new pollinator variety that not only is a good biological match for
Apache, but also yields excellent fruit of its own about two weeks after
the Apache harvest ends. The new apricot variety might be ready to
release to breeders and nurseries in a year or two, according to
Ledbetter.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research
agency.
___________________________________________

* This is one of the news reports that ARS Information distributes to
subscribers on weekdays.
* Start, stop or change an e-mail subscription at
www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/subscribe.htm
* NewsService@ars.usda.gov | www.ars.usda.gov/news
* Phone (301) 504-1638 | fax (301) 504-1648







  • [NAFEX] FW: New Apricot Is Early Bloomer, Lon J. Rombough, 03/25/2004

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