Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/146156
"I opened it and tasted it, and I could hardly catch my breath." commercialization process and will be involved in developing the names and trademarks and in marketing and promotion of the varieties. Proprietary Variety Management announced this summer that it has awarded exclusive licenses to two major fruit marketers in Washington, Stemilt Growers and Chelan Fresh Marketing, to commercialize the varieties. Their growing entities will plant test trees next spring. "They are the major investors in these two varieties," Howell said. "They're great partners, and obviously have a lot of access to the market." Howell, acknowledging that he's the "proud papa" of these varieties, said he thinks people will want to try them out of curiosity but that they have the flavor characteristics to become major varieties over time. He thinks the red flesh might open up new uses for apples, such as in salads. For many years, fruit growing and breeding was something Howell did in his spare time while managing the National Clean Plant Program for tree fruits (formerly the National Research Support Project No. 5) at Washington State University in Prosser. The center tests and treats planting material for viruses to avoid spread of diseases in the fruit industry. He retired in 2004, but then he returned to work half-time. He retired completely in 2011. seedlings. At harvest, he invites family members over to help him sample the apples as they ripen over the course of several weeks. —Bill Howell "It's kind of fun," he said. "It's a family affair with several children and their spouses. They're a pretty good critical group." He added, "We're excited about the apples, and we're very excited about the team that's been put together to commercialize them. It's nice to have major players like Chelan Fresh and Stemilt interested and willing to step forward and give it a try. We think it's going to go well, but the apple still has to prove itself in the long run." • Honeycrisp Howell has long been an aficionado of Honeycrisp and believes he was the first to plant it in Washington in 1994, three years after the variety was released. It had caught his eye in a variety trial at WSU, Prosser, that Dr. Bob Norton planted. Though growers and nursery representatives who toured the test plot didn't seem interested in Honeycrisp, Howell thought he could grow and market it himself and find a different niche from everyone else. Initially, he would take his apples to a wholesaler in Seattle or work with distributors in Minneapolis, but he later took the fruit to a commercial fruit packer in Washington. He also tried growing the Honeycrisp offspring SweeTango (Minneiska) when it was a numbered selection, but said it didn't do well in his location. The fruit was russeted and small, and he lost interest in it. Although, in theory, his site should be too hot for Honeycrisp, he's been able to grow that variety successfully. He began making crosses in 1998 using traditional breeding methods. A fruiting variety is pollinated by another variety. He plants the seeds from the resulting fruit and evaluates the seedlings. If any look good, he buds them on a Malling 9 rootstock to take another look. Since his variety block is less than a quarter of an acre, anything that doesn't look promising when it fruits is eliminated as soon as possible. Breeding, Howell says, is a numbers game. Normally, a breeder would plant thousands of seedlings in order to find promising ones. "What trumps that is luck, and so maybe, for me, it's like the lottery in terms of we happened upon crosses that worked well," he said. "These particular apples look really good—though we're a long ways away from the finish line." Howell estimates that over the years he's evaluated between 500 and 1,000 www.goodfruit.com The Kershaw family, owners of Domex Superfresh Growers®, have a strong connection to the land spanning five generations. Our values, trustworthiness and fiscal responsibility paired with marketing strategy, sales experience and distribution capabilities drive success for our grower partners. Call us today to learn more about growing with Superfresh Growers®. We know what's trending NOW. Our difference makes all the difference™ 151 Low Rd., Yakima, WA. 98908 | superfreshgrowers.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER AUGUST 2013 15