Description
The name 'Tsugaru' was not selected until 1970, which is the name for the western part of Aomori Prefecture where it was first cultivated. [6] Earlier names included: 'Golden Unknown,' 'Unknown No. 7,' 'Benibayashi,' 'Takatsuki,' and 'Early Fuji.' It was then provisionally named 'Aori No. 2 in 1970 but later that year a naming competition was held and 'Tsugaru' was selected. [7] [8]
'Tsugaru' apples have a firm, juicy flesh with a sweet flavor. [2] [3] It is consumed primarily raw and in desserts. It is cruncy, sweet, and juicy. [3] [5]
In its native Aomori Prefecture, it is harvested from late-August to early-September, making it an early harvest cultivar. [9] [10] [11] 'Tsugaru' is the most popular early harvest apple cultivar in Japan. In 2014 it accounted for 11.2 percent of Japan's apple production. [10] It is the second most popular apple overall in Japan, after the Fuji, which is half of the Japanese apple market. [12] [13] There are two ways of harvesting the 'Tsugaru' fruit. One is to let them grow naturally in full sun to produce the highest sugar content and the other is to wrap them in bags to reduce sun exposure, which creates a tarter flavor. [14] It is prone to late fruit drop, just before harvest time. [13] [15] [7] [8] Acceptance of the cultivar was initially slow due to a high rate of fruit drop, the oil floating on the surface of the fruit when stored in a normal warehouse, and poor coloring. These problems were eventually overcome. [7] In 2015, 'Tsugaru' was ranked 21st in global production. [8] Japanese production in 2023 was: Aomori Prefecture (36,700 tons), Nagano Prefecture (17,400 tons), Yamagata Prefecture (3,390 tons), Iwate Prefecture (3,000 tons), Hokkaido (1,680 tons), and Fukushima Prefecture (1,260 tons). [13]
The pollen parent of 'Tsugaru' was uncertain until 1990 when DNA analysis proved it was the 'Jonathan' cultivar. [8] [16] The 'Tsugaru' cultivar was introduced to America in 1999, [14] where it grows in United States Department of Agriculture zones 4-8. Mature dwarf height is about 12 feet (3.7 m) feet and mature semi-dwarf height is about 16 feet (4.9 m) feet. It prefers full sun. [4] It will keep a month at room temperature and three months refrigerated, [5] though exact times vary with ripeness at harvesting and storage conditions. [17] [18] [19] It is medium-sized with a cream colored flesh with a peel that has a yellow-green base and is about 75% red with stripes on the sun exposed side. In a decades-long study, climate change was found to decrease the acid concentration, firmness, and watercore rating, whereas the soluble-solids concentration increased in both 'Fuji' and 'Tsugaru' apple cultivars. [20] This cultivar has good fire blight resistance. [21]
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Japan, 1930
