Fruit Stock Photo: Cripps Pink, Pink Lady Apples

Cripps Pink Apple (Pink Lady Apple)

Cripps Pink is a variety of apple, from which apples meeting quality standards can be sold under the trade mark name Pink Lady. The Cripps Pink variety was originally bred by John Cripps at the (then named) Western Australia Department of Agriculture by crossing the Australian apple Lady Williams with a Golden Delicious in order to combine the best features of both apples. The apple is tart and crisp.

The Cripps Pink variety is owned and licensed by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), which has Plant Breeders' Rights in multiple countries. The peak industry body for Australian apple and pear growers — Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) — owns and manages globally the intellectual property in the trade mark Pink Lady, which is registered in more than 70 countries.

The apple shape is ellipsoid, it has a distinctive pink hue mixed with a green "background," and taste is tart. The Cripps Pink variety requires a long, 200 day growth period and a hot climate, making them ungrowable in more temperate latitudes.

They are principally grown in Italy and extensively in Australia, but are also grown in New Zealand, Chile, Canada, France and in the United States since the late 1990s.

The Pink Lady apple is becoming particularly popular in the United Kingdom and had approximately 10% of the market share in 2005.
Selected by 2800 producers, Pink Lady apples must meet strict specifications in terms of sugar content, firmness, colour and environmentally friendly production methods. Independent and rigorous inspections are regularly performed to ensure both the quality and traceability of the apple from the orchard to the shop.

Pink Lady apples are the earliest to blossom (late March/early April), and some of the last to be harvested (end of October/early November). It is the significant change in temperature between night and day in the autumn that gives the apples their pink colour. However, they must also be well exposed. Therefore, the trees must be carefully pruned and their fruit production well managed.

(Source: Wikipedia.org)

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