Starting about three weeks before anticipated harvest, fruit of each selection is tested weekly for starch conversion. Washington Tree Fruit Research commission The Washington State University apple breeding program is focused on developing novel apple varieties that will meet or exceed the quality of currently grown commercial varieties, both off the tree and after storage. After initial seedling selection and evaluation (Phase 1) and small-scale on-farm trials (Phase 2), promising selections go into the Phase 3 intensive industry-evaluation phase, which will provide crucial horticultural performance data for each advanced selection of interest to the apple industry. Phases 1 and 2 […]