ST. PAUL, Minn. – Horticulturists at the University of Minnesota have unveiled their latest eating apple – a cross between its Honeycrisp and Liberty varieties. It was developed as Code MN80 but is being released as Triumph because, the breeders said, the taste instills a feeling of hope and optimism. Cultivars have been licensed to select nurseries to propagate. Want to taste? The first yields are expected no sooner than 2025. A clue: It’s firm with red skin and slightly tart.
What’s in a name? A horticulture grad student, Stephen Brockman, ran contest to name the new apple. Of 500 entries he chose Triumph for several reasons. One was MN80’s dual forms of genetic scab resistance – an apple breeder’s triumph.