Cornell University releases three new apple rootstocks

Cornell University says that it has added three new apple rootstocks to its Geneva rootstock line, according to an article published in the Cornell Chronicle.

These new rootstocks developed through the university’s rootstock breeding program — Geneva 257, Geneva 484 and Geneva 66 — are available to growers through the university’s Center for Technology Licensing.

According to the university, Geneva 257 is a semi-dwarfing rootstock that transmits large fruit and a high crop load, and it’s particularly suited for SnapDragon and Gala. Geneva 484 is a semi-dwarfing rootstock that is productive and provides efficient yields. Geneva 66 is a semi-dwarfing, productive rootstock that the university said is resistant to fire blight and may be best suited for cider-apple growers who mechanically harvest the fruit.

“If you’ve got sandy soil and you’re an organic grower in Washington, you’re probably going to pick Geneva 484,” Terence Robinson, professor of horticulture for Cornell University, told The Chronicle. “If you’re an apple cider grower in Vermont and you are going to shake the trees to harvest, you probably want Geneva 66. And certainly, if you’re a SnapDragon grower, we are telling them to pick Geneva 257.”