Just a year after the release of WA 2, WSU’s apple breeding program in Wenatchee is releasing its second new cultivar, WA 5. WA 5 is sufficiently different from WA 2 in ripening season, appearance, and eating quality to justify its release. With a bright orange-red stripe covering 60 to 90 percent of the  yellow background, it is certainly eye-catching. It is rarely marked by russet and has small and inconspicuous lenticels, unlike the larger lenticels of WA 2. Fruit of WA 5 has excellent texture. It is firmer, crisper, and juicier than Gala and WA 2 (see “Fruit quality […]