The University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program has released its latest apple cultivar, MN80, to be marketed as Triumph. MN80 has been released to nurseries for propagation, and growers can place orders for trees to plant starting in 2021.
MN80, a cross of Honeycrisp and Liberty, produces attractive fruit with occasional stem bowl russeting. It will be ready to harvest in late September, similar to or slightly later than its parent, Honeycrisp, and is hardy to USDA zone 4, according to a university announcement.
MN80 has strong disease resistance and contains two genetic forms of resistance to apple scab, one of the most common diseases of apples, said David Bedford, a longtime apple breeder at the University of Minnesota.
“With the continued scrutiny of chemical use in orchards, we believe that Triumph could be a useful tool to reduce the amount of chemicals used in apple production,” he said.
Triumph has a sweet-tart balance of flavor that has been shown to be well liked by consumers. It also has a firm but crisp texture, good storage life and an attractive red overcolor, Bedford said.
Triumph has been released as an open variety (tree royalty only), which means growers can purchase trees directly from nurseries that are licensed to propagate and sell trees by the University of Minnesota, according to the announcement.
For more information, visit https://mnhardy.umn.edu/triumph-apple.
—by Matt Milkovich
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