Apple tree `Sansa`

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apple tree of an early-maturing cultivar which is reciprocal-fertile with main cultivars and has a high productivity with a regular crop and almost no physiological fruit drop. The tree has leaves with yellow mottle inherited from the male parent `Akane`, and can produce a fruit suitable for dessert and with a good keeping quality. The fruit has a skin of a yellowish green ground color with bright red, and a fine, juicy and crisp flesh which has a whitish yellow color, a good texture, a moderate sweetness and moderate acidity, giving a good sweet-acid balance and an excellent dessert quality.

We claim: 
     
       1. A new and distinct variety of apple tree, substantially as illustrated and described herein, characterized over known apple trees by (A) having a slightly weak vigor, but (B) having a good spur-bearing habit and a quite strong resistance to Alternaria blotch and Scab, (C) being reciprocal-fertile with main cultivars and productive with a regular crop and almost no physiological fruit drop, (D) having leaves with genetic yellow mottle inherited from a male parent `Akane`, and (E) producing a rather small fruit (a) maturing early in the season, and (b) having a two to three weeks keeping quality which is good as an early-maturing cultivar, a conical shape, a yellowish green ground-colored skin with a bright red coloring superior to `Tsugaru`, and a fine, juicy and crisp flesh which has a whitish yellow color, a good texture, a moderate sweetness and moderate acidity, and gives a good sweet-acid balance and an excellent dessert quality superior to `Tsugaru`.