Tag Archives: apples

Morrisons to extend English apple season

According to reports, Morrisons has said that it will extend its English apple season by up to two months, selling fruit into May next year.

According to the retailer, the move has been driven by customer demand and forecasts of a good English apple crop this year. It is working with growers and suppliers to increase the length of storage of key varieties including Braeburn, Cox, Bramley, Royal Gala and Egremont Russet. Morrisons has also said it hopes to increase sales by up to ten per cent this year and that it will stock a total of 25 different English varieties.

Morrisons produce director Drew Kirk said, “British shoppers want to buy British. So, we’ve worked with our growers to extend the season. This move will reduce our dependency on imports, give British growers a bigger market and secure the future of the British apple crop.”

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Scottish cider maker asks for donations

East Lothian cider maker Thistly Cross is offering people who donate spare apples for its range of Scottish ciders a free bottle in exchange for each bucket of apples donated.

The Dunbar-based company said it would accept most varieties, apart from crab apples. Head cider maker Peter Stuart told the BBC, “We have a tradition of using apples grown across Scotland from a wide range of sources including professional apple growers, schools, large estate owners and the general public who grow apples in their gardens at home.

“Our popularity is increasing but Thistly can’t make all the cider it wants to without the help of the public. Our unique system of using donated apples also eliminates the waste that is all too often associated with the food industry of modern times.”

The company exports its cider around the world.

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Sainsbury’s moves to top spot for English apples and pears

Sainsbury’s has regained the No1 position for English apples and pears, with over 42,000 tonnes of the home grown fruits sold this season, making it the biggest crop for any supermarket. Selling nearly 300 million apples and pears makes this the biggest season for Sainsbury’s to date according to independent figures released by English Apples and Pears Ltd.

Sainsbury’s has a record-breaking season for the biggest crop, with customers buying over 42,000 tonnes, equal to 298 million pieces of fruit and Gala apples proving to be the most popular across the UK.

This year’s top crop is the Gala apple with 12,300 tonnes of the variety, equal to 71 million apples.

Dr Theresa Huxley, Sainsbury’s apples and pear technologist said: “It’s fantastic to see customers making the most of the fantastic range of home grown fruit we have on offer.”

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Bumper apple crop predicted

According to the latest forecast from the World Apple & Pear Association, Europe is in for a bumper apple crop this year.

Speaking at the recent Prognosfruit conference the WAPA’s Philippe Binard said that larger crops in Poland, Italy, France, Portugal, Slovenia and the Czech Republic would more than compensate for declines in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Hungary and Greece.

Total apple production in the EU is estimated to be 11.97 million tonnes this year, with the pear crop at 2.34 million tonnes. Although down 5 per cent on last year’s figure, the apple figure is still 11 per cent above the five-year average. Traditionally popular apple varieties such as Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Idared will see falls in production, while more recent introductions like Fuji and Pinova are on the rise.

In the UK, the latest figures from English Apples & Pears show that Sainsbury’s is the top retailer of English apples and pears after selling 42,000 tonnes this season. Of the 26 different apple varieties, and six pears, that Sainsbury’s sold, Gala remains the most popular, accounting for almost a third of the store’s apple sales.

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EMR studies apple replant disease

Scientists at East Malling Research (EMR) have been awarded £482,000 to study ‘Apple Replant Disease (ARD) Evolution and Rootstock Interaction (ARDERI)’.

Apple Replant Disease affects newly planted apple trees, which fail to thrive in areas where apples have previously grown. EMR will also collaborate with industry partners to provide detailed information about the disease, which it hopes could be used to develop new management strategies and provide significant input into breeding programmes.

“ARD is a complex disease syndrome and, until recent advances in DNA sequencing technology, it has been practically impossible to develop effective control measures against it”, commented EMR’s Leader of Genetics and Crop Improvement, Professor Xiangming Xu. He continued “With this new BBSRC, NERC and industry funding we will gain a greater understanding of the relationship between the causal agents, the rootstocks and the soil microbial populations. This new understanding will enable us to develop and implement effective control strategies for tomorrow’s fruit growers.”

This announcement is part of £4M being spent by BBSRC and NERC to fund six projects to benefit key crops. The funding is the second round of awards from the Horticulture and Potato Initiative (HAPI), which was developed by BBSRC together with NERC and the Scottish Government to support high quality, industrially relevant research projects on potato and edible horticulture crops.

This post first appeared on HortNews.