A NEW variety of apple could hit Australian shores in the future after the official launch of the fruit was unveiled at international apple festival Interpoma last week.
The new golden variety Yello is a unique partnership between Nagano in Japan and South Tyrol in Italy.
The variety has been growing as Shinano Gold in Japan since 1993 but a partnership licence agreement was signed between Japan and South Tyrol in 2007.
Australia was announced as one of the international partners of the marketing of the Yello brand as one of five testing sites on five continents.
Vog Group director Gerhard Dichgans said the crop was being commercially established in South Tyrol and it made sense the next step would be to take the variety international.
"There are five partners in five continents and the first steps can be taken in those areas with testing done in those other places," he said.
Variety Innovation Consortium South Tyrol Markus Bradlwarter described Yello as being born in Japan but grown up in South Tyrol.
The apple is mature 14 days after Golden Delicious and has a yellow colour.
It has good storage and shelf life and the storage at home is really good, it does not deteriorate as quickly.
However the cultivation of the variety does have some challenges.
"It takes a lot of time and work to get a good volume of fruit," Mr Bradlwarter said.
It has a late blossom phase and the harvest amount is similar to Royal Gala.
Mr Bradlwarter said in order to get the perfect yellow skin the variety does need multiple pickings.
However it is also a hardy fruit, with low risk of russetting and a very smooth surface, with a low risk of pressure marks and high weight.
Production of Yello is being ramped up in South Tyrol with hopes that there will be an increase from 18,400 trees planted this year to 65,000 in 2017 and 80,000 in 2018.
Yello is marketed as the next big apple variety for South Tyrol that will offer an option for health-conscious consumers.
"The success of an agricultural area lies in the ability to cultivate great varieties," Vog Group chairman Georg Kossler said.
"Innovation means we have to be very close to the market, that we have to try and meet the demands of the changing tastes of our customers."
Councillor for Agriculture of the Autonomous Province Arnold Schuler said the region had been searching for a new variety that would meet the demands of the new consumer and believed they had found it with Yello.
He likened the search to being similar to the way headhunters try to find the best sportspeople for their teams. The official launch was attended by a delegation from Nagano.
Caitlin's verdict on Yello
FOR those who know me, it’s not a secret that I am an apple lover, but I have very particular tastes.
On first impression of Yello it reminds me of Golden Delicious, which is not surprising considering its origins.
The first thing that strikes you is the vivid yellow colour, that is much richer than in a Golden Delicious.
The flesh is white and the texture is firm. It has a nice crunch and is a very juicy apple, much more than I was expecting.
One thing is, the apple is quite sweet, there is a small amount of acidity that comes in at the end.
It’s a great variety that offers most of what I’m looking for but personally I prefer an apple that has a bit more bite in its flavour.
Despite this very minor point I did enjoy the Yello and would choose to buy it if available in Australia.
Score: 4 out of 5.
Caitlin Jarvis is a guest of the Italian Trade Agency for Interpoma, held in Bolzano from November 24-26.