Adopting a new scion cultivar is a crucial decision for tree fruit growers, who must consider both horticultural and market performance. Apple growers have mostly figured out how to produce high yields of excellent quality fruit for many standard varieties like Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Empire, but market demand for those varieties has steadily deteriorated. On the other hand, many newer cultivars have stellar market potential but bring production and/or handling challenges. For example, consumer demand for Honeycrisp, based on its unique eating quality, has kept returns high, despite the many production and postharvest challenges this breakthrough cultivar brings. […]