Tentation apple

The varieties are from the breeders of Tentation

New Zealand apple exporter Heartland Fruit is set to launch a brace of new disease-resistant apple varieties over the coming seasons, Fruitnet.com can reveal.

“We’ll be introducing one of the varieties this coming season and the other the year after,” said the company’s John McCliskie. “They’re striped apples and both are sweet with a little bit of tang.”

With their disease-resistant qualities, the varieties lend themselves to organic cultivation and promise more hassle-free, lower cost production, he noted.

“They require fewer chemical inputs and less manual energy to be used in production,” explained Mr McCliskie. “If they’re already immune to diseases it’s also easier to get organic certification.”

Heartland’s Brendon Osborn said the company is confident the varieties will appeal to the Asian palate following the initial reception to sample shipments. “We sent some samples to Malaysia last year and the response was excellent,” he remarked. “Demand for organic is growing in Malaysia and other Asian markets on consumers’ health and food safety concerns.”

While yet to be given brand names, the two varieties were bred in France by Delbard, which developed the Tentation apple. “We’re the exclusive licensee for both varieties in New Zealand, and Heartland will be the first company in the world to produce them commercially,” said Mr McCliskie.