An Introduction to Growing KORU® Plumac c.v.

KORU® Apple (Plumac c.v.) is a very exciting opportunity for commercial growers and has the following attributes:

• Grower friendly
• High productivity
• Large fruit size
• High pack-out
• Resistant to puncturing and bruising
• Excellent storage with no storage disorders
• Crisp, aromatic, honey-like flavour
• Excellent consumer quality

Some basic information is shown below for those interested in growing the variety Plumac and KORU® Brand fruit.  
In addition to this basic information, we have a series of detailed independent scientific reports on harvest and post harvest performance covering each year since the test plantings began in 2005, and detailed yield and packout data by year for every commercial and trial planting.
From a growers’ perspective and in short, the tree and fruit of Plumac can be quickly described as follows...

The Plumac tree is:

• Vigorous in the nursery and feathers readily.
• Grower friendly - branches readily and naturally with low branch angles requiring little training.
• Branches weep and come down readily with crop load - does not need string
• It is both spur and tip bearing, cropping on one year wood
• Highly productive - it is significantly more productive than Gala and likely more productive than Braeburn and Fuji.
• Not prone to biannual bearing, but will do so if overcropped.
• The tree form enables pruning to be fast and inexpensive
• Responsive to chemical thinners and easy to thin chemically
• Limited information suggests that the tree is more frost hardy than Fuji or Gala
• Low susceptibility to blackspot -  less susceptible than Gala and similar to Fuji.
• Less susceptibility to mildew than Gala, similar to Fuji.
• Very low susceptibility to European Canker and is more resistant than Jazz™ (Scifresh) or Envy™ (Scilate), being similar to Fuji and Cripps Pink.
• In the nursery, similar to Gala for fireblight susceptibility due to its high vigour - more resistant than Braeburn and similar to Fuji.  
• In the orchards, fireblight has not been seen and it is regarded as better than Cripps Pink or Gala for resistance.

The KORU® Apple is:

• Globose and conical shape with a closed calyx.
• Has a closed sinus
• Naturally large, packing at around average count size 80.
• Distinctive orange/red over colour comprising of stripes and mottles. 
• Colour can be brownish on young/overcropped trees.
• Colour advances in coolstore similar to Fuji.
• Skin is medium thick, resistant to puncturing and bruising.
• The flesh is  greenish white. 
• Flesh texture is crisp and melting, leaving no mouth residue.
• Firm apple, harvesting at pressures of around 9.5 kg per cm² (19 lbs per sq in), and retains its pressure well in storage.
• Flavour is sweet, aromatic and complex with a rich honey-like aftertaste.
• Extremely sweet apple with a brix around 18°.  There is an excellent balance between sugar and acidity.
• Slow to brown relative to other common comparison varieties.  This is very important in hot market places.
• Non satiating.
• The flavour and texture of KORU® Apple appeals to a wide range of consumers.

Plumac c.v. is a controlled variety and only available to be grown by licensed growers