MacExcel

Origin: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.

Cultivar name: MacExcel

Pedigree: O-522 (Red Melba x R6T68 (include Jonathan Rome Beauty and M. Floribunda 821 in its ancestry)) x Starkspur Compact Mac (McIntosh Wijcik).

Test Code: FER5A038

'MacExcel' produces a good yield of attractive apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) on a columnar type tree. It has field immunity to apple scab (Venturia inaequalis (Cke) Wint.) and is resistant to powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha (Ell. & Ev.) Salm.). 'MacExcel' is being released by the Horticultural Research and Development Centre of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Station in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The fruit weighs an average of 121 g and grows on spurs along the very upright branches. 'MacExcel' is useful as a hardy, disease-resistant variety for home gardens with a limited amount of space.

Tree characteristics: 'MacExcel' trees are moderately vigorous and columnar in habit with a few very upright side branches when grafted on the semi-dwarf rootstock MM-106. The tree is hardy at our agricultural substation in Frelighsburg, Quebec (latitude 45.0465), which has an average winter minimum of -25 ºC. 'MacExcel' has the gene Vf for resistance to apple scab that it derived from Malus floribunda 821 (Crosby et al., 1992). Based on field observations, It is resistant to powdery mildew and to fireblight infection. The tree gives good yields of fruit that are borne on spurs along the branches. Yields are similar to those obtained with 'McIntosh Wijcik'. The leaves are somewhat oblong with double serrate margins and the underside is pubescent. The apex is acute to acuminate and the base is obtuse. The average leaf length to width ratio is 1.9 and the petioles are 3.5 to 5.5 cm long with large stipules when young.

Flower characteristics: Flowering starts at the same time as McIntosh (around May 19 in Frelighsburg). Unopened flowers are medium pink in full balloon stage and the flowers are single. The ovate shaped petals are slightly overlapping and the pedicels are green in colour.

Fruit characteristics: 'MacExcel' fruit mature the second week of September in Frelighsburg, about two weeks before 'McIntosh'. Ripening is slightly uneven and the fruit have a tendency to fall once ripe. They are medium in size (axial diameter 56 mm, transverse diameter 69 mm, average weight 121g), mainly oblate to round-conic with some ribbing. The skin is smooth, medium thick, blotched and striped pinkish-red to dark red (RHS 187A) over a greenish-yellow ground (RHS 4C) with a heavy bloom. There is an average number of small to medium size lenticels that are not very conspicuous and there is no russeting. The stem is short to medium length with a medium thickness. The cavity is acuminate, smooth, with a medium depth and width. The basin is deep, with a narrow to medium width, and the surface is irregular and ridged. The calyx is persistent with erect lobes, open, and the tube is funnel-shaped; the stamens are in basal position. The core is small, closed at harvest but partly open after storage, and it is located in median position with clasping core lines. The carpels are rounded to elliptical, slightly abaxile and unsymmetrical, the distal end is mucronate and the insides are smooth. The seeds are a little flattened, not tufted and have an acute tip. The flesh is creamy-white, firm, crisp, juicy, and it develops an average amount of browning after cutting. There is an average level of soluble solids (12.4%) in the fruit and the acidity is low. The flavor is bland but acceptable and it becomes sweeter in storage.

Post Harvest, storage: The fruit retains its fresh eating quality for up to 2 months in a regular cold room and can be used for processing after 4 months in a cold room.

Other characteristics: Diseases and disorders: resistant to scab and powdery mildew, no evidence of fireblight in our orchards during the evaluation period.

Adaptation & availability: Limited quantities of nonindexed budwood are available for research purposes (universities and research stations) from S.K. with a written request. Multiplication licences can be obtained from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Trees are also available from "Pépinière Dominique Savio Ltée." (5430 Rang des Soixantes, Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Rouville, Québec, J0L 2B0, tel: 450-460-7962). European nurseries can obtain a multiplication licence from Meiosis Ltd. (Bradbourne House, Stable Block, East Malling, Kent ME19 6DZ).

Licence & commercialization

PBRO - Canada