Cortland (apple)

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Cortland
Cortland apples.jpg
Species Malus domestica
Hybrid parentage McIntosh × Ben Davis
Cultivar Cortland
Breeder Spencer Ambrose Beach
Origin Flag of the United States.svg Geneva, New York, 1898

Cortland is a cultivar of apple developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, United States in 1898. [1] It is a cross of the McIntosh and Ben Davis apples. It was named after Cortland County, near Ithaca, New York, home of Cornell University. [2] It was first bred by American horticulturalist S.A Beach. [3]

Contents

Characteristics

After the many attributes of McIntosh were discovered, plant breeders began crossing it with other varieties to enhance its traits. One of the earliest was the Cortland. The Cortland is capable of high yield in cold climates. [4]

The Cortland apple is flattened and irregular apple. Its skin is greenish yellow and deep red. Compared to the McIntosh, the Cortland is a sweet apple. It has white and juicy flesh, with a somewhat coarse texture. [4] Cortland is a soft apple, but not as soft as McIntosh. [5] Cortland is resistant to browning and is therefore suitable for fruit salads and charcuterie boards. [4] It could also be used to make apple pie. [6] Apple sauce made with the Cortland has a pink tinge. [7]

In the United States, it is most commonly grown in New York. [2] It is harvested after the Gala and McIntosh, and at about the same time as the Honeycrisp. [8] In Nova Scotia, Canada, during the late 2000s, apple orchardists replaced the McIntosh and Cortland with newer varieties that brought multiple times more money per bin, namely the Ambrosia, Gala, and especially the Honeycrisp. [9]

Patented mutants (sports)

The original Cortland variety, introduced in 1915 by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, produced apples which were 20–30% red, and was not patented. [10] Since then, several sports have been identified and patented:

Date"Inventor"Marketed asMutated fromAssigneeHabitPatternEarlierColorPlant patent number
Jan 19, 1982LaMontLamont, StarkspurstandardStark Bro's Nurseryspurstripedsamesame US plant patent 4800
Aug 30, 1983NicklinRedcortstandardHilltop Nurserystandardstriped2 wk.90% red US plant patent 5095
Oct 7, 1997HartenhofNS-911standardAdams County Nurserystandardstripedsamered overall US plant patent 10049

Descendant cultivars

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Fruit Collection , retrieved 19 April 2016
  2. 1 2 Newcomb, Melissa (September 19, 2024). "Apples of Our Eye: A Love Letter to Cornell's Fabulous Fruit". Cornellians. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  3. ↑ Michael H. Chaplin Department of Horticulture, 106 Horticulture Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/28/11/1079.full.pdf
  4. 1 2 3 Mikolajski, Andrew (2012). The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Apples. Lorenz Books. p. 58. ISBN   978-0-7548-2066-6.
  5. ↑ "Cortland, Empire & Jonathan Apples". Apple Holler. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ Zwieg, Chelsea (September 24, 2016). "Comparing apples to apples". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  7. ↑ Beckerman, Jim (August 25, 2023). "There are 2,500 varieties of apples in the U.S. Here's why — and a guide to the best". North Jersey. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  8. ↑ Coppolino, Andrew (September 24, 2022). "The appeal of apples: changing consumer taste brings shift to crops grown". CBC News. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  9. ↑ McMillan, Elizabeth (October 10, 2017). "'Complete turnaround': Honeycrisps reviving Nova Scotia apple farms". CBC News. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  10. ↑ US plant patent 5095


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