Red Delicious


The Red Delicious is a clone of apple cultigen, now comprising more than 50 cultivars, first recognized in Madison County, Iowa, in 1880. It is one of the fifteen most popular apple cultivars in the United States. From 1968 to 2018, it was the most produced cultivar in the U.S.

History

The 'Red Delicious' originated at an orchard in 1880 as "a round, blushed yellow fruit of surpassing sweetness". Stark Nurseries held a competition in 1892 to find an apple to replace the '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, in 1914; the 'Delicious' became the 'Red Delicious' as a retronym.

Production decline

In the 1980s, 'Red Delicious' represented three-quarters of the harvest in Washington state. A decade later, reliance on 'Red Delicious' had helped to push Washington state's apple industry "to the edge" of collapse. 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.
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.

Sports (mutations)

Over the years, many propagable mutations, or sports, have been identified in 'Red Delicious' apple trees. In addition to those propagated without any legal protection, 42 sports have been patented in the United States:
DateInventorMarketed asMutated fromAssigneeHabitPatternEarlierColorPlant patent number
Apr 3, 1934ShotwellDeliciousC&Ostandardless stripe2 wk.3-4 times
May 18, 1954PloughRoyalred1805RicharedC&Ostandardblush10 d.lighter
Aug 23, 1955BraunsRed King1811StarkingVan Wellstandardstripe2 wk.more complete
Feb 12, 1957BisbeeStarkrimsonStarkingStarkspurblush"earlier"similar
Feb 3, 1959Frazier & JenkinsStarkingElon J. Gilbertstandardblush10 d.brighter
Feb 17, 1959HamiltonHamiltonHamiltonstandardblush2 wk.darker
Mar 24, 1959GilbertRedspurStarkingC&Ospurblushlaterbrighter
Feb 23, 1960HutchinsonTop Red3556ShotwellC&Ostandardstriped2-3 wk.darker
Apr 5, 1960WoodWoods, Starkspur2606StarkingStarkspurstriped1 wk.deeper
Sep 24, 1963GouldRed DeliciousMiller&Millerstandardblush"early"more intense
Aug 11, 1964Gilbert MillerSturdyspurStarkingCons. Orch. Cospurblush"early"dark
Aug 25, 1964Frank Rypczynski"Frank", Super Starking5569StarkingStarkstandardsubdued stripes30 d.fuller
Mar 15, 1966CooperStarkrimson or Welspurspurstripe10-14d.more intense
June 4, 1968TrumbullOregon Spur4819Red KingVan Wellspurstripe2 wk.darker
Dec 23, 1969DiedeStarkingStarkstandardmore intense
Feb 2, 1971MatsonStark Earlibrite5547Ryan RedStarkstandardblush1 monthbright
Mar 2, 1971MaxamStarkingstandardblushdeeper
Apr 13, 1971NortonVancespur2-3 wk.brilliant
Feb 19, 1974CokeRose RedStarkingRosespurblushfrom startdark
May 7, 1974PagnelliStarkingStarkspurblushbrighter
May 28, 1974WardEarly Red One4839BraunsVan Wellstandardstripe4 wk.darker blackish-purple
May 28, 1974FlanaganStarkingStarkspurstripebefore Topredbrighter, lighter
June 11, 1974SlusarenkounknownStarkstandardstripe4 d. before #2440red
June 25, 1974CampbellRed Chief3578StarkrimsonHilltopspurstripe"earlier"deeper, brighter
Nov. 29, 1977SilversSilverspurHi EarlyMcCormickspurstripe2 wk. before Hi Earlybright
Jan 30, 1979CraigOregon Spurspurstripe2 wk.darker, heavier
Aug 12, 1980PerlebergAceStarkrimson or Oregon Redspurstripe18 d.bright but deep
Jan 19, 1982GarretsonStarkingCarltonblushbright
Feb 2, 1982GreenOregon Spur II6190Oregon SpurWells & Wadespurstripe10 d.dark
Apr 20, 1982Evans et al.Scarlet Spur6190Oregon SpurVan Wellspurblush2 wk.red stem
Nov 9, 1982Coke&SmithSuper Clone4926MStarkingMcCormick, Bountiful Ridgespur, dwarfingstripeno change, late bloomlight
Nov 13, 1984KempTop Spur5334StarkrimsonC&Ospurstripe5-7 d.deeper, brighter
Mar 26, 1985HannersEve's DelightSpokane Beautystripelight
May 21, 1985JenkinsJenred,5472 Starkspur,5472 Ultrastripe5472Oregon SpurStarkspurstripe15 d.more consistent
Sep 3, 1985HareHared,5547 Dixiered,5547 Starkspur5547Oregon SpurStarkspurblush15-20 d.dark
Oct 8, 1985GonzalezRico7237Sharp RedMerleley & al.standardstripe20 d.
May 31, 1988SandidgeSuper ChiefRed Chiefspurstripe18 d.red stem
Mar 28, 1989ValleVallee Spur6702Red Chiefspurblush2 wk.dark red with bloom
May 29, 1990SaliSali7237Redspursemi-spurblush"earliest"purple tinge
Aug 4, 1992WinkelAW-164,7928RedchiefInter-Plant Patent Marketingspurblush5-10 d.brighter
Mar 23, 1999DeutscherCumberland Spur10,832Oregon Spurspurblush10-14 d.complete
May 4, 2004BurchinalAdams Apple, Burchinal Red Delicious14,757Oregon Spur IIspurblushimmediatelymore uniform, deeper, purple, bloom

Unpatented sports

Well-known but unpatented sports include:
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.