Wyoming Apple Project (1988) 2012-2019 Steve Miller Botany Department University of Wyoming The Wyoming Apple Project Save apple varieties growing in Laramie The Wyoming Apple Project Wyoming Apple Project-initial goals •Create a database of apples in Wyoming •Take scions graft them onto hardy rootstock •Return grafted apples to owners •Develop a heritage apple specimen orchard at the Sheridan Research Station •Promote apple growing in Wyoming •Develop an informative website Molecular identification of cultivars Funding sources Historic Orchards • Ed. Young Orchard Now the Spear S Produce Company -(3000 apple trees) • University of Wyoming Experimental Fruit farm Now the Central Wyoming College Field Station -(1700 apple trees, 182 cultivars) • Duncan Grant Ranch Rural Historic Landscape (Wheatland, WY), Box Cross Ranch (Sheridan, WY), HF Bar Ranch (Buffalo, WY), Spea’s Orchard (Casper, WY), Archer Field Station (Cheyenne, WY) and multiple other Experimental Fruit Farms located in Sheridan, Wheatland, Laramie and Sundance, WY. Sites The Ten best apples for Wyoming 1. Yellow transparent 2. The Dutchess 3. Wealthy 4. Longfield 5. Hibernal 6. Northwestern Greening 7. McIntosh 8. Wolf River 9. Windsor 10. Scott The Ten best apples for Wyoming 1. Yellow transparent 2. The Dutchess 3. Wealthy 4. Longfield 5. Hibernal 6. Northwestern Greening 7. McIntosh 8. Wolf River 9. Windsor 10. Scott 218 cultivars were mentioned in available literature University of Wyoming Experimental Fruit Farm - 1905 Ed Young Orchard - 1901 Sarah McLachlan-Angel “In the arms of the Angel Fly away from here” Grafting Grafting Unknown cultivar Pope Orchard Lingle WY Tuffy’s favorite Speas orchard Grandma’s favorite Full circle Grafting workshops (17 in 12 locations) Grafting workshops Wyoming heritage apple collection- ShREC Sheridan Research and Extension Center Document apple characteristics Apples developed at the University of Wyoming Experimental Fruit farm specifically for Wyoming Breckstein Margaret Mart Fremont Nelson Popoasia Roberts Sundance Washakie Wyoming Novel Cultivars Kieth Murray – Murraymere Farms Powell Wyoming Breckstein Novel Cultivars Apple genotyping - Jonathan Magby Genotyping • DNA extraction on leaf samples o DNA finger printing using nine Microsatellites • Match to a known reference sample o USDA-National Plant Germplasm System o Seed Savers Exchange o Washington State University • Manual allele correction (Gross et al, 2012 & 2018) o Reference total 1211 Goal Identify heritage apple cultivars in Wyoming using genetic fingerprinting (microsatellite) techniques •conservation of Wyoming heritage apples •recommendations on candidate cold-hardy cultivars for specialty crop •breeding programs Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) •database of Apple cultivars (SSR aka microsatellites) •operated by the USDA Agricultural Research Service •contains 1251 apple genotype accessions •publicly available database Wyoming ID • 64% ID to cultivar (328/510) o 47 cultivars o 303 matched at T=0, 25 at T=2 threshold ▪ (T=2, mismatches to two steps at either one locus or among two different loci) ▪ Standard ProbI (2.1 x 10-12) and conservative -4 Probsibs (1.4 x 10 ) • 182 remaining unknowns o 146 unique fingerprints or genotypes • Eight found in more then two cities • Nine matched unique genotypes outside the state Apples Found In Wyoming • Alamata • Fire Cracker Crab • Anoka • Fireside • Beacon/Northern Lights • Gideon • Ben Davis • Haas • Charlamoff • Haralson • Cherry crab (M.Baccata X M. • Hibernal prunifolia) • Jefferies • Cortland • Kelsey • Delicious • Liberty • Dolgo • Lodi • Dutchess of Oldenburg • Lowland Raspberry • Empire • Macrocarpa • Erickson Apples Found In Wyoming • Martha • Regent • McIntosh Red • Sharon • McMahan • St. Edmund’s Russet • Melba • State fair • Norland • Sweet Sixteen • Northwest Greening • Virginia Crab • Oriole • Wealthy • Patten Greening • Whitney No. 20 • Plum Cider • Wolf River • Prairie Spy • Yellow Sweet • Ralls • Yellow Transparent • Red Astrachan Top 15 cultivars: Found 1. Wealthy (71)*22% o Minnesota 2. Haralson (25) o Minnesota 3. Patten’s Greening (23) o Wisconsin 4. Yellow transparent (20) o Russia 5. Northwestern Greening (16) o Wisconsin 6. McMahon (14) 11. Dutchess of Oldenburg (12) o Wisconsin o Russia 7. Whitney Crab (14) 12. Martha (10) o Illinois (near border of Wisconsin) o Minnesota 8. Dolgo (13) 13. Virginia Crab (10) o Russia o Russia 9. McIntosh Red (13) 14. Anoka(7) o Canada o South Dakota 10. Wolf River (13) 15. Charlamoff (6) o Wisconsin o Russia 3. Map of Top 15’s CULTIVAR OF WYOMING: ORIGIN 23 21 21 18 Total 13 12 11 11 TOTALCULTIVARS 9 8 7 6 6 6 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 SD EUR KS MI TZ TN WV US GER MD ME NE RI KY VT VA CT IL AR ENG IN NC NJ PA MO OH CAN WY NY IA MA WI NA? MN RUS STATE/COUNTRY 218 Cultivars: Year Introduced or Breed 1951-Present 1926-1950 1901-1925 1876-1900 1851-1875 1826-1850 1801-1825 1776-1800 Year Year 1751-1775 1726-1750 1701-1725 1676-1700 1651-1675 1626-1650 1600-1625 Pre-1599 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Total Wyoming Apple Project Website • About Wyoming Apples o Recommendations by UW Experimental Fruit Farm in 1924. • City (locale) Pamphlets o Cultivars found o Recommendations ▪ By elevation and location (UW EX Fruit Farm) ▪ Top three cultivars found in your area o Previous Orchards & Land Owners ▪ Cultivars grows Wyoming Apple Project Website • About Wyoming Apples (218 Cultivars + identified) o Use ▪ Dessert ▪ Cider ▪ Kitchen (pies, jelly, apple butter, etc.) ▪ Market o Information for future breeding programs ▪ Parentage ▪ Characteristics ▪ Disease resistance o Synonyms Wyoming Apple Project Website • Propagation & Maintenance o Rootstocks (32) ▪ Tree size ▪ Fruiting ▪ Hardiness ▪ Disease resistance ▪ Rooting o Grafting techniques ▪ Workshop video ▪ Planting o Maintenance ▪ Video workshops on pruning new trees ▪ Video workshops on restoring old trees ▪ Training ▪ Fruit- thinning, harvest and storage ▪ Winter protection o Disease and pests 5. Wyoming Apple Project Website • Propagation & Maintenance o Rootstocks (32) ▪ Tree size ▪ Fruiting ▪ Hardiness ▪ Disease resistance ▪ Rooting o Grafting techniques ▪ Workshop video (Dr. Steve Miller) o Planting o Maintenance ▪ Video workshops on pruning new trees (Chris Hilgert) ▪ Video workshops on restoring old trees (Chris Hilgert) ▪ Training ▪ Fruit- thinning, harvest and storage ▪ Weeds ▪ Winter protection o Disease and pests 5. Wyoming Apple Project Website • Apples lost and found (218 Cultivars + identified) o Origin o Year introduced or breed o Availability for purchase in: ▪ Commercial nurseries ▪ Conservation orchards ▪ Germplasm orchards (USDA) • Also on the website o Orchards and homesteads of Wyoming o In-state and out-of-state nurseries selling to Wyoming o Wyoming Apple key (218 Cultivars + identified) o Includes 400 + USDA watercolor drawings and cross sections Ongoing orchard restoration projects: •Ed Young Orchard (now Spear S Produce Company) •University of Wyoming Experimental Fruit Farm Station (e.g. now CWC Field Station in Sinks Canyon) are preserving original trees. •A Wyoming heritage apple collection has been developed at the Sheridan Research and Extension Center orchard Miller, S.L. 2014. Wyoming Apple Project: Attempts to Save Wyoming’s Diverse Apple Cultivars. Barnyards and Backyards. Univ. of Wyoming, www.uwyo.edu/barnbackyard/_files/documents/magazine/2014/winter/0 10114bbwyappleproject.pdf. Magby JT & SL Miller. 2019. Wyoming Apple Project: Old trees meet new technology. Barnyards and Backyards, Winter edition. http://video.wyomingpbs.org/video/2365890965/ WWW.WYOMINGAPPLEPROJECT.COM (Note: For PC and/or non-apple platforms google search Wyoming apple project or allow access through Sophos Anti-Virus protection). Aven Nelson--secretary of the Wyoming State Board of Horticulture The Ten best apples for Wyoming 1. Yellow transparent 2. The Dutchess 3. Wealthy 4. Longfield 5. Hibernal 6. Northwestern Greening 7. McIntosh 8. Wolf River 9. Windsor 10. Scott Apples developed specifically for Wyoming 1. Breckstein Fruit large in Size, skin light green blushed with red on one side. Flesh is fine textured, juicy and in season first of October. Apples developed specifically for Wyoming Breckstein Fremont Fruit resembles Wealthy in shape, size, color (pale yellow with red stripes, Flesh whitish) and flavor(less juicy than wealthy) and keeping quality Margaret Large in size, skin light green, overliad with red stripes Mart Large in size, skin green with blush on the sun side with a dull crimson splash. Flesh pleasant and juicy. Nelson Large in size, skin yellowish with bright and deep red stripes. Flesh very tender and delicious Popo agia Fruit is streaked with green and red. Flesh tender, delicate and slightly subacid. Ripins first of October. Apples developed specifically for Wyoming Breckstein Fremont Margaret Mart Nelson Popo agia Roberts Above medium, skin light green with red stripes. Flesh mild Sundance Medium in size, skin yellow and speckled in red. Flesh white and bruise resistant. Good flavor. Ripens around September Washakie Large, skin nearly red with greenish color. Flesh fine textured, good flavor and very firm. Wyoming (Ed Young) Large to very large, skin striped and splashed with red and almost solid red Goals • Conservation of Wyoming heritage apples o Historic orchards o Establish a Wyoming heritage apple collection o Wyoming Apple Project website ▪ Provide information on maintenance and propagation to help residents rehabilitate and/or start future apple orchards