Red Delicious
SpeciesMalus domestica
Hybrid parentageChance seedling
Cultivar'Red Delicious'
OriginPeru, Iowa, United States
Rows of trees under hail nets
Ripe Red Delicious are uniformly red

Red Delicious is a type of apple with a red exterior and sweet taste that was first recognized in Madison County, Iowa, in 1872. Today, the name Red Delicious comprises more than 50 cultivars. It was the most produced cultivar in the United States from 1968 to 2018, when it was surpassed by Gala.[1][2][3]

History

The 'Red Delicious' originated at an orchard in 1872 as "a round, blushed yellow fruit of surpassing sweetness".[4][5] Stark Nurseries held a competition in 1892[6] to find an apple to replace the 'Black Ben Davis' apple. The winner was a red and yellow striped apple sent by Jesse Hiatt, a farmer in Peru, Iowa, who called it "Hawkeye". Stark Nurseries bought the rights from Hiatt, renamed the variety "Stark Delicious", and began propagating it. Another apple tree, later named the 'Golden Delicious', was also marketed by Stark Nurseries after it was purchased from a farmer in Clay County, West Virginia,[7] in 1914; the 'Delicious' became the 'Red Delicious' as a retronym.[5]

Selective breeding and decline in demand

The apple became a victim of its own popularity. As consumers began to purchase more of their food from large supermarkets, the apple's popularity encouraged commercial growers to increasingly select for longer storage and cosmetic appeal rather than flavor and palatability, which resulted in a less palatable fruit.[5][8][2] In particular the selection of redder fruit caused deselection of flavor, and the genes that produced the yellow stripes on the original fruit were on the same chromosomes as those for the flavor-producing compounds.[2] Breeding for uniformity and storability favored a thicker skin.[2] Later, as other cultivars entered supermarkets, demand for the 'Red Delicious' declined.[8][9]

In the 1940s the apple was the most popular in the US.[10] In the 1980s, 'Red Delicious' represented three-quarters of the harvest in Washington state, but the selection of beauty and long storage over taste was making the apples less popular, and demand was declining as supermarkets started carrying other varieties.[10] By the 1990s, reliance on the now-unwanted 'Red Delicious' had helped to push Washington state's apple industry "to the edge" of collapse.[5] In 2000, Congress approved and President Bill Clinton signed a bill to bail out the apple industry, after apple growers had lost $760 million since 1997.[9]

Farmers began to replace their orchards with other cultivars such as Gala, Fuji, and Honeycrisp.[2] By 2000, this cultivar made up less than one half of the Washington state output, and in 2003, the crop had shrunk to 37 percent of the state's harvest, which totaled 103 million boxes. Although Red Delicious still remained the single largest variety produced in the state in 2005, others were growing in popularity, notably the Fuji and Gala varieties.[5][10] By 2014 the Washington Apple Commission was recommending growers plan to export 60% or more of production.[10] In 2018 the Gala apple overtook US sales of the Red Delicious for the first time.[2] Through 2020 production continued to decline.[11] The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to further continue decline in demand as many cafeterias and other typical sales points for the apple were closed.[11]

Sports (mutations)

Over the years many propagable mutations, or sports, have been identified in 'Red Delicious' apple trees.

Patented

In addition to those propagated without any legal protection (or cut out because they were seen as inferior), 42 sports have been patented in the United States:

Date Inventor Marketed as Mutated from Assignee Habit Pattern Earlier Color Plant patent number
Apr 3, 1934Henry ShotwellShotwell DeliciousDeliciousC&Ostandardless stripe2 wk.3-4 timesUS plant patent 90
May 18, 1954PloughRoyalred1805RicharedC&Ostandardblush10 d.lighterUS plant patent 1278
Aug 23, 1955BraunsRed King1811StarkingVan Wellstandardstripe2 wk.more completeUS plant patent 1411
Feb 12, 1957BisbeeStarkrimsonStarkingStarkspurblush"earlier"similarUS plant patent 1565
Feb 3, 1959Frazier & JenkinsStarkingElon J. Gilbertstandardblush10 d.brighterUS plant patent 1805
Feb 17, 1959HamiltonChelan Red[12]Hamiltonstandardblush2 wk.darkerUS plant patent 1811
Mar 24, 1959GilbertRedspurStarkingC&OspurblushlaterbrighterUS plant patent 1822
Feb 23, 1960HutchinsonTop Red3556ShotwellC&Ostandardstriped2-3 wk.darkerUS plant patent 1916
Apr 5, 1960WoodWoods, Starkspur2606StarkingStarkspurstriped1 wk.deeperUS plant patent 1930
Sep 24, 1963GouldRed DeliciousMiller&Millerstandardblush"early"more intenseUS plant patent 2285
Aug 11, 1964Gilbert MillerSturdyspurStarkingCons. Orch. Cospurblush"early"darkUS plant patent 2433
Aug 25, 1964Frank Rypczynski"Frank", Super Starking5569StarkingStarkstandardsubdued stripes30 d.fullerUS plant patent 2440
Mar 15, 1966C.L. Cooper, Washington, USRegal Chelan SpurWelspurspurstripe10-14d.more intenseUS plant patent 2606
June 4, 1968TrumbullOregon Spur4819Red KingVan Wellspurstripe2 wk.darkerUS plant patent 2816
Dec 23, 1969Herbert Diede Washington, USRed BouquetStarkingStarkstandardmore intenseUS plant patent 2956
Feb 2, 1971MatsonStark Earlibrite5547Ryan RedStarkstandardblush1 monthbrightUS plant patent 3025
Mar 2, 1971MaxamStarkingstandardblushdeeperUS plant patent 3035
Apr 13, 1971NortonVancespur2-3 wk.brilliantUS plant patent 3040
Feb 19, 1974CokeRose RedStarkingRosespurblushfrom startdarkUS plant patent 3485
May 7, 1974PagnelliStarkingStarkspurblushbrighterUS plant patent 3541
May 28, 1974A.M. Ward, Washington, USEarly Red One4839BraunsVan Wellstandardstripe4 wk.darker blackish-purpleUS plant patent 3556
May 28, 1974FlanaganStarkingStarkspurstripebefore Topredbrighter, lighterUS plant patent 3557
June 11, 1974SlusarenkounknownStarkstandardstripe4 d. before #2440redUS plant patent 3567
June 25, 1974Fred Campbell, Washington, USRed Chief3578StarkrimsonHilltopspurstripe"earlier"deeper, brighterUS plant patent 3578
Apr 13, 1976A.G. Staniforth, B.C. CanadaSpured Royal DeliciousRoyal DeliciousOkanogan NurseryUSPP 3864
May 11, 1976C.L. Cooper, Washington, USStarkspur Prime RedTopred DeliciousStarktree smaller than Topred DeliciousUSPP 3882
Nov. 29, 1977SilversSilverspurHi EarlyMcCormickspurstripe2 wk. before Hi EarlybrightUS plant patent 4159
Jan 30, 1979CraigBright 'N Earlyspurstripe2 wk.darker, heavierUS plant patent 4372
Aug 12, 1980PerlebergAceStarkrimson or Oregon Redspurstripe18 d.bright but deepUS plant patent 4587
Jan 19, 1982GarretsonStarkingCarlton<spur / dwarfblushbrightUS plant patent 4801
Feb 2, 1982GreenOregon Spur II6190Oregon SpurWells & Wadespurstripe10 d.darkUS plant patent 4819
Apr 20, 1982Evans et al.Scarlet Spur6190Oregon SpurVan Wellspurblush2 wk.red stemUS plant patent 4839
Nov 9, 1982Coke&SmithSuper Clone4926MStarkingMcCormick, Bountiful Ridgespur, dwarfingstripeno change, late bloomlightUS plant patent 4926
Nov 13, 1984KempTop Spur5334StarkrimsonC&Ospurstripe5-7 d.deeper, brighterUS plant patent 5334
Mar 26, 1985HannersEve's DelightSpokane BeautystripelightUS plant patent 5421
May 21, 1985JenkinsJenred,5472 Starkspur,5472 Ultrastripe5472Oregon SpurStarkspurstripe15 d.more consistentUS plant patent 5472
Sep 3, 1985HareHared,5547 Dixiered,5547 Starkspur5547Oregon SpurStarkspurblush15-20 d.darkUS plant patent 5547
Oct 8, 1985GonzalezRico7237Sharp RedMerleley & al.standardstripe20 d.US plant patent 5569
May 31, 1988SandidgeSuper ChiefRed ChiefVan Well Nurseryspurstripe18 d.red stemUS plant patent 6190
Mar 28, 1989J. E. Valle, Washington, USVallee Spur6702Red Chiefspurblush2 wk.dark red with bloomUS plant patent 6702
May 29, 1990SaliSali7237Redspursemi-spurblush"earliest"purple tingeUS plant patent 7237
Aug 4, 1992Arden Winkel, Michigan, USEarlichiefRedchiefInter-Plant Patent Marketingspurblush5-10 d.brighterUS plant patent 7928
Mar 23, 1999DeutscherCumberland Spur10,832Oregon Spurspurblush10-14 d.completeUS plant patent 10832
May 4, 2004BurchinalAdams Apple, Burchinal Red Delicious14,757Oregon Spur IIspurblushimmediatelymore uniform, deeper, purple, bloomUS plant patent 14757

Unpatented sports

Unpatented sports
NameDiscovered / IntroducedOriginatedRemarks
Adams Delicious1954 / 1956Oregon, USdarker red than Delicious
Clawson1945/1952Washington, USabout two-thirds size of a typical Starking Delicious
Dieterich Delicious1950/1960California, USskin solid red
Evarts Delicious/ c. 1950
Hardibrite Red Delicious1970/1975Oregon, US
'Hi Early'
Houser Red Delicious1953 / 1958
Hubbs Delicious1950/1950Oregon, UScolors earlier and darker than parent
Huebner Starking1957/1962British Columbia, Canadastriped
Maehara Starking1954/1955British Columbia, Canadared overcolor 10 days before than of parent.
'Mood2433' or 'Starking'which colors about 2 weeks before "standard Delicious"1411
Morgan Spur Delicious1957/1969Washington, US
Morspur1959/Washington, US
Nured Royal Delicious1966/1976Washington, US
Parrish Delicious1934 / 1946
Pittman Red Delicious1948 / 1956
Red Stark/ 1927
Redwin1925 / 1928
'Richared'/ 1926brighter red than standard, blush, not stripe 1278
'Ryan'
'Sharp Red Delicious'1963/1969Washington, US
'Spokane Beauty'
'Wellspur'

In 1977, the application for #4159 noted the "starchy and bland taste of some of the newer varieties".

The plant patent for #4926 promoted the sport as a dwarfing interstock, a dwarfing rootstock for pears, or to produce "crab apple"-sized 'Delicious' apples.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Red Delicious.
  1. ↑ 2018 Annual Review Archived 2019-01-24 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Apple Association.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Red Delicious Apples Weren't Always the Worst". New England Today. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  3. ↑ Apple varieties by US Apple Association
  4. ↑ Susan Dolan (2009). Fruitful Legacy: A Historic Context of Orchards in the United States, with Technical Information for Registering Orchards in the National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Pacific West Regional Office, Cultural Resources, Park Historic Structures and Cultural Landscapes Program. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-16-082127-1.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Higgins, Adrian (August 5, 2005). "Why the Red Delicious No Longer Is. Decades of Makeovers Alter Apple to Its Core". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-27. The reliance on Red Delicious helped push Washington's apple industry to the edge in the late 1990s and into this decade. Depressed prices for Red Delicious, weaker foreign markets, and stiffer competition from abroad, including apple concentrate from China, contributed to major losses in the nation's apple industry, which mounted to $700 million in 2001, according to the U.S. Apple Association. The industry has recovered somewhat since then, in part because reduced harvests have buoyed prices.
  6. ↑ Leona (Lee) Novy Jackson, "Delicious Apples and Their History""Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2009-10-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Apples, Apples Everywhere—Favorite Recipes From America's Orchards. ISBN 0-930643-11-9. Images Unlimited Publishing. Maryville, MO.
  7. ↑ Mulcaster, Glenn (November 3, 2009). "History of a Golden Opportunity". THE AGE Epicure. The myth-making in US horticulture that consigned Johnny Appleseed to caricature has coloured the background of the 20th century's most enduring apple.
  8. 1 2 "Red Delicious Apples Didn't Always Suck. Here's What Happened". HuffPost. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  9. 1 2 Egan, Timothy (November 4, 2000). "'Perfect' Apple Pushed Growers Into Debt". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-08-24. Retrieved 2008-08-02. Losses piled up. And now the bill has come due. Last month, Congress approved and President Clinton signed the biggest bailout in the history of the apple industry after the government reported that apple growers had lost $760 million in the last three years. ... In trying to create the perfect apple for major supermarket chains, these farmers say, they may have sacrificed taste to cosmetics. The growers say their story is like a fable with lessons for how the nation produces its fresh food.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Sarah Yager (September 10, 2014). "The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Will the pandemic kill off more red delicious apples? – Produce Blue Book". 13 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  12. ↑ Brooks and Olmo, Register of New Fruit and Nut Varieties, 1972
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