Megan Lynch (she/her)Feb 26

Apple cultivars I saw for sale at Kaufland in Brno, Czechia:

Granny Smith
Golden Delicious
Jonagold
Red Delicious
Red Prince
Braeburn
Cripps Pink ("Pink Lady")
Gala
"Cosmic Crisp"
Eva (I think...I might be misremembering this one).

Didn't see any Czech cultivars per se. #FruitToot #Agrobiodiversity #Czechia

Show threadjaz  
@ml it is indeed Cosmic Crisp, it's a relatively new apple, and it's absolutely delicious. It's my go-to apple these days. Descended from the Honeycrisp I believe.
Feb 26 at 3:49pmWeb
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Feb 26
@jaz Oh, I'm familiar wtih "Cosmic Crisp". I used quotes because that's a marketing name (which can be trademarked in perpetuity) rather than the actual cultivar name. #FruitToot
Show threadjaz  Feb 26
@ml ah, I see, good to know!
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Feb 26

@jaz To clarify, I don't know if cultivar names can be trademarked, but the plant patents run out in a finite time in most countries. Then people who do not pay the patent fee can grow and market it.

So one tack plant breeding companies have taken is to develop a marketing name they can trademark. If you ask consumers what "Pink Lady" is, they generally know. Whereas few of them know what 'Cripps Pink' is...the actual cultivar name. And if anyone besides the trademark holder uses the name,

Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Feb 26

@jaz they can still be sued even after the plant patent has expired. So this is one reason I make the distinction.

I use cultivar names in single quotes, and tradmarked marketing names in double quotes. "Cosmic Crisp" has the rather uninspiring cultivar name of 'WA38'. https://treefruit.wsu.edu/cosmic-crisp-characteristics-and-horticulture/ #FruitToot

WA 38 Characteristics and Horticulture | WSU Tree Fruit | Washington State University

Show threadKevin McCoyFeb 26
@jaz @ml I've tried it a few times and I feel like the skin has a bitterness that I can't get over, but the flesh is fantastic. I really like SweeTango, another trademarked apple descended from Honeycrisp, though I'm also fortunate to have a local orchard which grows them so I get a very good selection. (Also I'm in Minnesota, where Honeycrisp and SweeTango were both developed, so I'm biased in favor. :P)
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Feb 26
@kmccoy @jaz U of M has a lot to be proud of. I'm a fan of the public breeding programs (in terms of their existence as public programs). #FruitToot
Show threadKevin McCoyFeb 27
@ml @jaz I love to hear that! I get my apples from a local orchard (honestly the guy who owns it feels like part of the family at this point, we get various berries and apples and gourds from him through the season) and he seems pretty happy with the way that they treat small local orchards in the state. We're quite a bit further north than Minneapolis and pretty rural so it feels like such a treat to get fancy apples so readily.