Germany's Professional Association for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (VDL) has unveiled a new apple cultivar which it says could provide a potential alternative to the Pinova variety.
Andreas Peil of the Dresden-based Julius-Kühn-Institut said the new variety, known as Pipivita, was characterised by slightly above-average sugar levels of around 16° brix and by a tendency towards medium to large sizing.
A late apple with deep red colouring, Pipivita is also reported to offer the trade a long shelf-life and can be planted in some locations where Pinova cannot, said Agrar Europe.
However, the institute pointed out that the variety may be prone to mildew during hot and dry production periods.
