Cripps Pink

Intersection of 'Lady Williams ' × 'Golden Delicious'

Cripps Pink is a medium-to large-fruited variety of apple. The shell is purple - red with yellow green portions, the pulp is as creamy white, crisp, firm, described rather sweet and moderately juicy. The variety is characterized by good storage ability, they do not tend to be mealy after long storage.

Cripps Pink was born in 1973 in Australia as part of a national breeding program from the crossing of varieties Lady Williams and Golden Delicious. With this crossing the shelf life of Lady Williams should be combined with the sweet flavor of Golden Delicious. Was named the variety after its breeder, John Cripps, from the Western Australian Department of Agriculture in Stoneville, Australia. The Cripps Pink variety was introduced in 1986 in the market. [Patent 1]

The name Pink Lady is not a cultivar name and not a synonym of Cripps Apple, but a brand name for the variety Cripps Pink apples that meet a certain, defined by the owner of the rights to the brand name Pink Lady quality criteria. Notably, this is a red portion shell of at least 40% and a fruit diameter of at least 55 mm. Individual Ankäufer require a higher proportion of red bowl, or a larger fruit diameter for fruit. In the debate club varieties Pink Lady is still often referred to as one of the first and most famous club varieties.

For the use of the brand name Pink Lady royalties to the rights holders must be dissipated. This guarantees in return higher revenues for growers because the purchase prices of trade for fruits that can be marketed as Pink Lady, will be around 70 to 100% higher than the prices for the quality requirements not sufficient Cripps Pink. The apple is marketed with a label depicting a pink heart.

Tree and fruit

Cripps Pink needs a long growing season, as the characteristic red color of apples developed only at the end of the ripening period. For this reason, the variety is primarily grown in countries such as France, Spain, Chile, South Africa and Australia. Since the variety is grown in the northern and southern hemisphere, and the apples have a good shelf life, they are available to the market through the year. Cripps Pink is especially susceptible to powdery mildew.

The fruits ripen only in climatically very favorable areas completely. The ground color of the fruit is initially green, shortly before maturity, the red body color develops and increases until the harvest, especially on the side facing the sun. The red body color is due to the synthesis of anthocyanins in the shell, caused by excess exposure to light in connection with cool nights and warm daytime temperatures not to. An excessively hot weather can prevent the formation of the desired red color, and lead to necrosis or undesirable brownish discoloration of the shell.

The wholesale assess the quality of harvested fruit, the higher the greater the proportion of red shell, and the deeper the red color is pronounced. Since the red color enhanced only towards the end of the maturity period, the request of the market fruit quality, in particular the storage life have a negative impact, because a too long out long delays in harvesting the fruits can be overripe.

Flesh browning susceptibility

In September 2000, was first detected in Tasmania on apples of brand Pink Lady that they were infested with flesh browning (English Flesh Browning (FB ) disorder), in the following years further cases have been reported from numerous growing regions in Australia and other countries, were finally 2003 35 containers with Pink Lady from Australia rejected in the UK because of flesh browning. It is a major economic damage was done not only for the Australian orchards, the Pink Lady brand threatened beyond losing prestige and economic importance. Making matters worse was that the impairments on the time and the growing region did not occur only sporadically and predictable in terms.

The impairment manifests itself in three different forms: a discoloration of the entire pulp in question ( Diffuse Flesh Browning ( DFB) disorder) and a radially from the inside outwardly extending browning (radial Flesh Browning ( RFB ) disorder). In addition, as a third form by a high content of carbon dioxide caused in the CA storage atmosphere and have long known damage, which presents itself as brown spots from which cavities may occur in the flesh.

The two new forms occur in unfavorable climatic conditions between the full bloom and harvest, and it comes to damage of the cell structure in the flesh by the cold ( DFB) or by an aging due to prolonged time to harvest ( RFB ). The calcium content of the soil, the ripeness of the fruit at harvest and storage conditions, especially to a cold storage or excessive levels of carbon dioxide in the storage atmosphere, also contribute to the onset of symptoms. Within three years were part of an international research project led by the University of Sydney the various causes of damage identified and measures to reduce the risk to be developed. These consist primarily in organizational changes, such as the previous harvest of threatened cultures, and the adaptation of the storage conditions, each aligned to the mean value based on several factors risk for the development of DFB or RFB.

Market significance

Cripps Pink is a late variety and has the market advantage, that they extended the harvest season for the growers and wholesalers. Making it one of the many " new species " of recent times, which expand their market shares quickly and to the detriment of old and established fruit due to special properties. Commercially Cripps Pink is now widespread. The Cripps Pink variety, but is not protected by trademark law in many countries as a fruit. A fruit farmer can grow the plants without restriction and market the fruits under any name.

Owner of the trademark Pink Lady, however, is the Apple and Pear Australia Ltd. , Which owns the rights to the brand name Pink Lady in over 70 countries. In 2012, 450,000 tons were harvested Cripps Pink (excluding China) worldwide, of which 325,000 tons were marketed as Pink Lady. In their home country Australia, the Pink Lady brand contributed in 2006 with a third to the apple export in.

In most producing countries a license fee of 77 EUR is charged per tonne of apples removed for the use of the trademark Pink Lady, but American growers have to pay the fee only for exported fruit. Two-thirds of the proceeds will be invested in marketing, one-third shall revert to the owner of the mark and is invested in the enforcement of trademark rights and in research to improve the variety of apple.

The marketing of Pink Lady is one of the most important attempts to market fruits in a similar manner as the top brands of the big food companies. Pink Lady is positioned in the market with great effort as a premium brand, and so also accepted by consumers who pay in the UK up to four times the required for other kinds of price. This was in the UK, supports the most important export market for Pink Lady, with an intense advertising with ads in major lifestyle magazines, sponsoring media attention events like the ( failed ) attempt at crossing the Atlantic in a rowing boat in 2004, and promotional campaigns in major supermarket chains.

In Europe, more than 10 million euros were spent annually for the marketing of Pink Lady in the years before 2012. In the UK, which does not grow the variety, year by 2012 more than 3 million cases were à 13 kg Pink Lady imported. The UK consumer prices for Pink Lady were more than 50 % higher than those for Cripps Pink in 2011.

Mutations

Since the 1990s, some mutations of the variety Cripps Pink were discovered and partially patented or placed under plant variety protection worldwide. It is sport, which are propagated by grafting after their discovery. Most mutations are characterized by a stronger staining or mature earlier. Of the lines with stronger coloring, the growers a strong color hope among actually too warm growing conditions, also some purchasers want instead of the sufficient for Pink Lady 40 % red skin 60 %, so that a stronger staining for the fruit growers means a greater proportion of marketable fruit. Of the earlier maturing lines is expected that they can be harvested in time in climates with early frosts.

The rights to the mutations are the property of their discoverer or growing businesses that patent their new lines as varieties or to ask under plant variety protection, and have done so in some cases. It can also have a license to use the trademark Pink Lady be obtained, provided the fruit meets the requirements. Apple and Pear Australia Ltd. trying to work out that the mutations as Pink Lady are marketed. For both parties, which can be advantageous to the fruit growers of the effort and the business risk of introducing a new brand is spared, and the marketing company retains its influence and avoids a new competitor on the market.

Examples of mutations: