Braeburn

Chance seedling

Braeburn is an apple variety, originally from New Zealand. The two-tone medium-sized apple is crisp and has a complex sweet - tart flavor that is especially popular with Europeans.

The apple was discovered as a chance seedling in 1952, but is grown on a commercial scale only since the early 1990s. Braeburn belongs together with Royal Gala at the two main varieties of apples in New Zealand. In recent years the cultivation has increased in other regions with long growing seasons, and it is commercially planted in Chile, the United States and southern Europe. It is named after the apple Braeburn Orchards, which was the site of the first commercial cultivation.

Description

Braeburn apples are medium to large in size. The glossy shell is covered with dark red short strips, which is considered to be three-quarters by a red area. The flesh is relatively hard, but very aromatic and durable, but loses if the apples only come from the cold storage rapidly its strength. Braeburn is stored longer than, for example, Cox Orange, but not as long as Golden Delicious.

The mutant Braeburn Hill Well ( also called " Red Braeburn ' ) has a more pronounced red coloration than the parent form. Other common types are Hidala, Mahana Red, Royal Braeburn, and Southern Rose.

Braeburn is suitable as an eating apple, as well as for cooking or baking. It is ideal for stewed fruit, fruit salad and juice.

History

Braeburn was discovered as a chance seedling in 1952 by O. Moran, a fruit farmer from Waiwhero in Upper Moutere, New Zealand in a hedge along the way. The variety has been grown by the nursery Williams Brothers in Braeburn scheduled for export. Especially a small group of farmers in the main growing region of New Zealand in Nelson fought for Braeburn. But only when the market dominance of Granny Smith and Red Delicious in the 1980s and 1990s in New Zealand began to wane, the producers built reinforced at Braeburn.

Braeburn was with Gala and Fuji one of the first two colored apple varieties that found success after decades of dominance of one color apples ( Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith) on the world market. In 2000, already 77 % of New Zealand's production Braeburn or Royal Gala Apples. In the new millennium, however, prices began to fall and lose Braeburn favor of new club varieties of market share.

During the complex tart sweet taste on the export markets of Europe is very well received, this is not the case on other continents. Since then, the New Zealand apple growers to focus more on export to Asia, loses Braeburn in his native New Zealand in popularity. In the years 2005-2011 alone, production has halved in the country.

As one of the parents or grandparents locations Cox Orange is suspected. As a second parent variety Lady Hamilton is specified. Also, Golden Delicious or Granny Smith comes into question. The chance seedling grew up in what was then the center of the New Zealand apple cultivation, so that apples grew of all these varieties nearby.

Cultivation

Braeburn trees are relatively easy to grow under the climatic conditions of New Zealand with a long growing season and yield in young trees high harvests.

The fruits need to mature a relatively long growing season, so the variety is suitable only for warmer climates. In Germany it is suitable only in the warmer regions of cultivation. The harvest takes place in Germany until mid to late October. In cold storage until April he is durable.

Braeburn is particularly susceptible to apple scab. The tendency to alternation can be curbed well by regular thinning.

A particular disease of Braeburn is the " Braeburn Browning Disorder ". In this case, the meat of the apple turns brown and becomes soaked with water. In extreme cases, cavities can form in the apple. From the outside, the disease can not be detected in the early stages, so that always came apples with Braeburn Browning Disorder in trade and ensured there for correspondingly angry reactions of consumers.

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