Priam

type: Dessert

summary: One of the early apples developed by the PRI apple breeding programme, the Priam is an excellent fresh-eating selection that combines the characteristics of the Jonathan and Golden Delicious and is resistant to most diseases. It does well in the soil and climate of continental Europe.

identification: Medium to large, round-conic, with lightly ribbed faces. The skin base colour is pale yellow, over which is a dense pattern of red stripes. Sometimes russetted. Abundantly marked with tiny lenticels. The stem is short and moderately stout, set in a deep and wide cavity, lightly streaked with russet.

characteristics: The flesh is fine textured, crisp. Juicy, tart, moderately sweet and aromatic. Flavour improves in storage.

origins: Jonathan crossed with ( Golden Delicious x F2-26829) Developed as a cooperative breeding program between the Universities of Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois in the U.S.A., the Department of Agriculture and the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique of Angers (France). Released in 1974. This was the third cultivar of about 50 in the PRI cooperative breeding programme to develop disease resistant apples carried out under the initiative of the Universities of Purdue (Indiana), Rutgers (New Jersey) and Illinois (Illinois) and the Department of Agriculture in the U.S.A. from the 1945 through to 1990. The Priam was developed from PRI 14-126 (an experimental cultivar which contains genetics of Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty and Malus floribunda 821) crossed with pollen from Jonathan. The first seedling from this cross was planted in 1951 at the Purdue University’s Lafayette Experimental Station. It first fruited in 1958 and was officially released in 1974. It was selected in 1968 by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique for cultivation in France where it seems to benefit most from the European climate and terrain.

cultivation: Hardy, moderately vigorous, spreading tree. Partial tip bearer. Starts to bear fruit at three to four years.

cold storage: Up to two months.

vulnerabilities: Resistant to scab and fireblight, but susceptible to canker and mildew.

harvest: In the middle of the fourth period.

notes: Priam was named for the last king of Troy in Homer’s Iliad in Greek mythology.