Cornell University recently announced the release of three new apple varieties: Pink Luster, Firecracker and Cordera.
Cornell has been breeding apples since the 1880s, but âthereâs a strong need to have varieties that are new,â said Susan K. Brown, with Cornell AgriTech in Geneva. âWe felt these three had the potential for a lot of different markets.â
Brown is a Herman M. Cohn Professor of Agriculture and Life Science at the School of Integrative Plant Science.
Cornell had long limited licensure of its apple varieties but loosened its rules in 2013 to help the newcomers take off.
âA lot of new varieties, if they donât have enough production, they donât make it in the larger chains,â Brown said. âGrowers liked them but didnât have enough demand.â