I don’t recall it being particularly prone to fireblight.
I have fewer problems with early apples than late apples. Apples like Gala, Pristine, Ginger Gold don’t suffer from fruit rots or SB/FS like my later apples. The rot problems are aggravated by my hot/humid climate (7B). I managed to control the SB/FS problem this year on the late apples but the fruit rots were terrible even on Winesap and Goldrush. Cameo got hit the hardest by bitter rot. Lots of CAR on Goldrush this year.
Forgetting about SB/FS which I don’t really count, the later apples are usually far better for me. But this year I am more like you, I had many rots on later apples such as Rubinette and Newtown. It may be due to the very hot late summer temps - September was a roaster here. It might be roasting every September where you are.
That and the early spring, if you had one. That leads to fruit ripening in hotter temps even if all other things are equal. .
I’m in a lousy area for growing apples and it was roasting hot here in July, August and September. Some apples ripened several weeks ahead of schedule. We came close to breaking the record for the number of days over 90 degrees. Had some sunburn problems on the apples too. Many large commercial growers in western NC apple country had major bitter rot/glomerella infections too. I learned this year that once the problem is easy to recognize, its almost too late to control. My reduced spray fungicide program did not get the job done this year.
Or to sum up what you’re saying, there are varieties resistant to the common fungal and bacterial diseases, but there are no varieties resistant to insects any more than there are chickens resistant to foxes.
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I think the chicken/fox analogy is apt, because there are chickens that are wilier, faster, more agile, or tougher than other chickens, and might be the last ones taken. But if the fox pressure is high enough, they will go down too.
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Not exactly, unless you include guinea hens, which have a rep for surviving predators better than others of their species. There are varying degrees of attractiveness to insect pests depending on the variety of each. Coddling moths are drawn to russetted high brix varieties, plum curculio are drawn to less dense fleshed varieties that don’t crush their larvae as quickly.
Old strain yellow delicious seems fairly insect resistant and I’ve seen unsprayed Goldrush and Fuji bear when others didn’t in my nursery. Arkansas black also seems fairly insect resistant in my region. Such resistance in somewhat regionally affected.
I guess this is a more detailed description of what murky has already alluded to.
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Referring to the original question: You might consider red-fleshed apples. My Winekist is untouched by disease or insects - no wrapping of fruits needed. Winekist is precocious, blooming in its third leaf after grafting; each fruit 2 inch by 2 inch. Redfield (October, pink within and good sized) may yield debut fruit in a year or two and teach me about its strengths.
I am thankful to find little disease pressure in Spokane. Nothing chosen here is FB susceptible - on purpose - and as long as I clean up and mow over the leaves, putting them into compost, no scab, either. We took out any junipers years ago.
Mildew can be hard on trees here: a Hudson’s Golden Gem down the street is hit hard but fruits anyway. I planted a seed from Cripp’s Pink/Pink Lady and it shows both powdery and downy mildew. That’s going into compost today.
Regarding Liberty: I was lazy one year and did not clean up leaves beneath it. Scab strikes on lower branches of leaves and fruit the next season. Liberty always drew coddling moths away from the other trees - sort of a path of least resistance for them?
I am very excited about the possibilities of Edelborsdorfer after reading the article posted by suttonelms.com about inbreeding and genetic narrowing of modern cultivars. This Edelborsdorfer is about four years old after the graft and may bloom next year (gotta spread limbs to encourage that next season!)
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Does anyone have experience with WineCrisp and Crimson Crisp as far as susceptibility to insects?
These apples are quite hard when just ripe and I wonder if that would deter codling moth if they love Liberty’s light fluffy texture?
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I think your hunch is probably correct although I haven’t had a lot of experience with Crimson Crisp. It does seem to produce fruit in my nursery with fewer issues than other varieties. I like the taste more than Liberty as well- it’s a real good apple, IMO.
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This year was my 2nd harvest of Crimson Crisp and Winecrisp. Both varieties are really clean apples so far for me, very little to no insect damage or fungus issues. Crimson Crisp is a winner for my family, maybe not a top 5 apple for taste, but a nice crisp apple right off the tree. Crimson Crisp can make you look like an expert fruit grower to novice visitors to your orchard who are use to pristine grocery store apples.
Winecrisp taste has been less impressive so far. I may have picked a little early because I was seeing fruit drop, but right off the tree in my orchard it has been barely edible. I recently read it needs around a month in the fridge to hit peak flavor. I have had some in the fridge now 2 or 3 weeks now and if the flavor does not get a lot better it will it will be scheduled for a regraft.
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Here is some of my liberty apples in zone 4b/5a. Un bagged fruit nearly completely destroyed by bugs. Japanese beetles love the leaves too.
Protected to the left, unprotected to the right. Probably still 1 week from peak ripeness, seeds not fully brown.
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Where can I find Rambour d’Hiver?
Post something in the scion exchange this winter. I don’t think trees are available from any nursery.
This year was a bad rot year for my apples but Rambour d’hiver came through great as always.
Cummins has an interesting assortment of disease resistant apples listed here http://www.cumminsnursery.com/disease.htm. This is what they said about them
"*PRISTINE® From the Purdue-Rutgers-Illinois breeding program (PRI). Resistant to scab, fire blight, powdery mildew, and cedar apple rust. Maturity date is quite early – late July, just after Lodi; requires multiple pickings. It is a smooth, glossy golden-skinned apple with a slightly spicy flavor. Very good shelf life for a summer apple. Very early bearing. Royalty $1.00 per tree. Plant Patent #9881.
*WILLIAMS’ PRIDE Perhaps the best flavored of the older disease-resistant apples. Another PRI introduction. Long harvest requires 2 or 3 pickings. Attractive fruit with an 80% dark red stripe on a green-yellow background. Resistant to scab, fire blight, powdery mildew, and cedar apple rust. Short shelf life.
WOLF RIVER Old variety with multiple resistances. Very large. Excellent baker, fair for sauce; not for eating out-of-hand. Hardy to -40.
*REDFREE Has 90%, full red Jonathan-type color. Ripens with Paulared, about 6 weeks before Delicious, but much better flavor. The flesh is firm with a flavor that has been compared to Empire. Aggressive thinning is required to get good size and to avoid biennial production. In addition to resistance to scab, cedar apple rust, fireblight, and mildew, it appears to be somewhat resistant to red mites. Plant Patent #4322
*DAYTON This apple was released for commercial orchards in scab-prone areas because of its high dessert quality and consistent bearing habits. Moderately resistant to fire blight; susceptible to C.A.R. Tested as Co-op 21. Ripens with Prima, 3 weeks before red Delicious. It’s an attractive glossy red fruit with mild flavor. Annual cropper. Grower-friendly tree. Plant Patent #5584. Royalty $1.00 per tree.
*PRIMA First introduction from the PRI program; originally tested as Co-op 2. Dark red blush over yellow-green. Good Jonathan-type flavor. Ripens a week before McIntosh, 3 weeks before Delicious. Moderately resistant to fire blight. Resistant to cedar apple rust but susceptible to quince rust. Plant Patent Reissue #28435.
GALARINA New from France. Fruit similar to Gala – medium-small, red orange skin, crisp yellow flesh. Excellent storage.
JONAFREE. Jonathan-type, but not as high a flavor. Intermediate tolerance to fire blight, powdery mildew and crown rot.
MURRAY Medium-large fruit ripening about 2 weeks before Liberty, a week before McIntosh; dark red; attractive. Very juicy; good sugar/acid balance; good eating apple, but not for cooking. Productive. Immune to scab; resistant to C.A.R.
AKANE Jonathan hybrid from Japan. Earliest of the really good eating apples, ripening in mid-August in Geneva. Bright cherry-red, medium size fruit. Ripening fruit hangs well. Tolerant of (BUT NOT IMMUNE TO) apple scab in most years. Moderately resistant to blight and to C.A.R.
ALKMENE A Cox’s Orange Pippin cross. Red-orange fruit with a delightful sharp tang. Early ripening – about with Sansa, well before Redfree. Annual bearing. Fairly compact. Considerable scab tolerance.
LIBERTY This disease-resistant apple has been making a major impact in the eastern U.S. Many independent taste panels have rated it the best among the resistant varieties, usually above Empire, and always rated it above McIntosh. Good well-balanced sweet-tart flavor with an attractive red skin makes Liberty competitive with “standard” apples. This apple is not just for the back yard grower but will be important for direct-sales. With consumer interest in low spray and organic produce rising, there comes a need for a high quality cultivar like Liberty. Besides immunity to apple scab, Liberty is resistant to cedar apple rust and has fairly good resistance to fire blight.
LIBDEL. A Liberty x Delicious cross with the same resistances as Liberty. A huge triploid. An ideal cooking apple – small core, not much peeling to be done to fill the pot. Dessert quality good, but not as good as Liberty. No biennial bearing.
*FREEDOM Large juicy fruits are 50-80% red striped over yellow. The trees are vigorous, spreading and very productive. Blooms early midseason with Jonamac. Ripens with Delicious. Average storage life is 3 months. Very good cooking apple because of its tart flavor. Immune to scab; moderately resistant to blight and C.A.R. Plant Patent No. 5723.
NOVAEASYGRO A Spartan daughter from the Nova Scotia breeding program. Eating quality improves with storage. Similar to Cortland. Very sweet; and moderately juicy. Scab-immune; resistant to C.A.R. and to powdery mildew; blight-susceptible.
SCARLETT O’HARA New! from the PRI breeding program. Tested as Coop 25. Late ripening. Brilliant red skin. Mild flavor. Excellent keeper. PPAF; Royalty $1.00/tree.
NOVASPY Also from the Nova Scotia breeding program, NovaEasyGro x (Northern Spy x Golden Delicious). Novaspy is the first DRC to have a touch of Northern Spy flavor. First fruiting at Geneva looks great. Ripens 4 or 5 days after Delicious, just before Northern Spy. Midseason bloom. Excellent storage. Moderately productive. Susceptible to cedar apple rust.
FLORINA QUERINA Great name!! From the French breeding program at Angers. Except for its Vf scab resistance, a different genetic background from the rest of our DRCs. Good keeper. Fruit is very aromatic. Precocious; terminal bearer. Tolerant of powdery mildew.
PRISCILLA A Delicious hybrid from the PRI program, ripening 10 to 15 days before Delicious. Originally tested as Co-op 4. Short conic fruit; bright red finish; medium large. Rich flavor with distinctive licorice tang; on the sweet side. Annually productive. Quite resistant to fire blight and cedar apple rust.
GENEVA CRAB Typically a 2-1/2 inch fruit; very dark red with rose-red flesh and pink juice. Tart; slightly astringent. Resistant to almost all races of scab fungus.
RICHELIEU A new introduction from the Agriculture Canada breeding program in Quebec. Fruit is medium-large. Ripens 3 to 5 days before MacIntosh. Susceptible to rusts; tolerant to fire blight and powdery mildew. Winter hardy.
PRIMAVERA Another scab-immune introduction from the Quebec program.
PRIAM Bred in the PRI program, but introduced in France, specifically for the humid climate of the Garonne Valley near Bordeaux. Bright red fruit, grower-friendly tree. Ripens in Delicious season. Very productive. Excellent storage.
CRIMSON CRISP New introduction from the Purdue-Rutgers-Illinois coop breeding program; tested as Co-op 39. Very crisp and juicy. Rich flavor; pleasant sugar-acid balance, on the sweeter side. Excellent red skin color. Good storage. CAR moderate on fruit, heavy on foliage. Susceptible to fire blight. USPP#16622.
ANTONOVKA KAMENICHKA Russian eating apple. Usually 2-1/2 inch diameter; yellow; rough finish. Tart. Polygenic scab immunity. Tolerant to fire blight. Very winter hardy.
ANTONOVKA 1-1/2 POUND Very large green cooking apple from . Hardy to -40. Polygenic resistance to apple scab. Susceptible to fire blight.
CHEHALIS Large crisp, sweet yellow apple. Ripens with Mac. Very productive. Considerable scab tolerance.
SIR PRIZE Very large, high quality yellow apple from the PRI breeding program-- a triploid with 2 genomes from its Golden Delicious seed parent. Very attractive light yellow, glossy skin. Crisp but quite tender; easily bruised. Rich flavor with good sugar/acid balance. Grower-friendly, vigorous tree; annual production. Moderately susceptible to fire blight and cedar apple rust.
ENTERPRISE. Introduced from the PRI breeding program. Tested as CO-OP 30. Fruit is medium to large. Skin is a glossy, very bright red on deep yellow ground. Flesh is cream, medium-fine texture, crisp. Tree is medium to vigorous, spreading, annual cropping. Late bloom. Harvest is two weeks after Delicious. High quality storage apple. After 6 months in common storage, it still retains an excellent texture with a full, slightly spicy flavor. Worthy of commercial planting. Scab-immune; resistant to fire blight and C.A.R. Plant patent #9193. Royalty $1.00 per tree.
*GOLDRUSHTM New from the PRI breeding program, a Golden Delicious hybrid. Tested as CO-OP 38. A very high quality, yellow winter apple. It has a pleasant tart flavor at harvest that develops into a very rich, well-balanced flavor after a few weeks in storage. Outstanding storage life. It is a moderately vigorous semi-spur tree. Easily tripped into biennial bearing; very early thinning in first years of fruiting is helpful. Bloom mid-season. Scab-immune (Vf gene); moderately susceptible to cedar apple rust. Royalty $1.00 per tree. Plant Patent #9932. "
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I was surprised to see that Primavera is not a Purdue introduction- since they so cleverly work the “PRI” into their apple names!
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Thanks for sending the link and descriptions. My eye caught on Priam. For some reason, I hadn’t come across that one, but a disease-resistant apple bred especially for humid locations sounds like it might be a great choice for my location.
Then again, I’m not sure if I really need another apple tree to buy, lol! Maybe I’ll wait for someone else in the south to report how it does here…
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Standard “Disease resistant” never includes rots and thats a big issue in warmer climates. Northern growers are all freaked out about scab and thats a nothing for me since it get cooked out in my orchard. So I agree its a good move to wait for some southern experience report on it. I grew Akane on that list and it was one of the worst rotters I ever tried to grow.
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You’re no doubt correct. I just read the part about it being developed for humid climates, and…I dunno. My imagination ran away with me and I pictured an apple tree that thrived like a hothouse orchid in the heat and humidity. 
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