EXHIBITION "APPLE: A COCKTAIL OF FLAVOURS": HOW TO MIX A NEW VARIETY?

Who are the parents of one of our most popular varieties, 'Admiral'? How do we select varieties to be crossed? And what do the jobs of a breeder and a barman have in common?

The Botanical Garden in Liberec, Czech Republic in cooperation with our team prepared its second exhibition with apples being the centre of attention, this time titled "Apple: A cocktail of flavours". The exhibition was held from 30 January to 9 February 2025 and focused on the pedigrees of our apples.

The exhibition introduced a wide array of apples: from the "cornerstones" that laid the foundations for many later-bred selections (e.g. 'Golden Delicious', 'James Grieve', 'Jonathan', 'Cox’s Orange Pippin'), those that represent the important intermediate steps (e.g. 'Rubín', 'Shampion', 'Linda', 'Spartan') to, finally, our varieties that stand on their shoulders ('Cassiopeia', 'Lyra', 'UEB 47021' - Ellipso®, 'Rumba' and many others). 

Visitors could buy a book that walked them through the stories and pedigrees of our selected varieties. Curious minds could also attend a lecture and get some advice on how to tend their beloved trees and other garden plants. And of course, the exhibition would not have been complete without a tasting of selected apple varieties and new selections, originating from our station in Střížovice.

Authors of the photos: Botanical Garden Liberec; Institute of Experimental Botany (adopted from the website of the Czech Academy of Sciences).