Fuji (apple)

Infobox Cultivar | name ="Malus domestica" 'Fuji'

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image_caption= "Fuji" on a tree
image_width = 250px
hybrid = 'Red Delicious' × 'Ralls Genet'
cultivar = 'Fuji'
origin = flagicon|Japan Fujisaki, Aomori, Japan, 1930s

The Fuji apple is an apple cultivar developed by growers at the Tohoku Research Station (農林省園芸試験場東北支場) in Fujisaki, Aomori, Japan in the late 1930s [ The Research Station moved to Morioka later; now National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, National Institute of Fruit Tree Science 果樹試験場リンゴ研究部 http://www.fruit.affrc.go.jp/soshiki/ringo/hinsyudata/fuji.html ] and brought to market in 1962. It is a cross between two American apple varieties, the Red Delicious and old Virginia Ralls Genet (sometimes cited as "Rawls Jennet") apples.It is named after "FUJIsaki ( [藤] 崎)," Aomori Prefecture (青森県) and often thought to be named after Mt.Fuji (富士山).

Overview

Fuji apples are typically large or very large and round, on average the size of a baseball. They contain between 9-11% sugars by weight and have a dense flesh that is sweeter and crispier than many other apple varieties, making them popular with consumers around the world. Fuji apples also have a very long shelf life compared to other apples, even without refrigeration. With refrigeration, Fuji apples can last up to 5-6 months.

In Japan, Fuji apples continue to be the unrivaled best-seller. Japanese consumers prefer the crispy texture and sweetness of Fuji apples almost to the exclusion of other varieties and Japan's apple imports remain low. Aomori Prefecture is perhaps the best known apple growing region of Japan. Of the roughly 900,000 tons of Japanese apples produced annually, 500,000 tons come from Aomori.

Outside of Japan, the popularity of Fuji apples continues to grow. Fuji apples account for 80% of China's 20 million tons grown annually, for example. Since their introduction into the U.S. market in the 1980s, Fuji apples have continued to gain popularity with American consumers as well. A relative stranger to American supermarket shelves only 10 years ago, Fuji apples ranked at number 4 in 2003 on the US Apple Association's list of most popular apples, after Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Gala. Fuji apples are now grown in traditional apple-growing states such as Washington, New York, and California as demand shifts in both the domestic and foreign markets toward Fuji apples. Washington, the home of the Red Delicious and grower of half of America's apples, produces about 135,000 tons of Fuji apples each year, with only Red Delicious and Golden Delicious outweighing Fujis.

See also

*Grapple (fruit) - a Concord grape-flavored Fuji apple

References

External links

* http://www.fas.usda.gov/htp2/circular/2000/00-11/applesit.htm
* [http://www.american.edu/TED/esp/japan-apple.htm Japan-US Apple Trade Conflicts]
* http://www.idfta.org/cft/1998/vol31no1/barritt/Barritt_Fuji.pdf
* [http://www.fruitinabox.com/ Info about Fuji apples & 25 other varieties]
* http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/kitchen/handbooks/apples/northamerica.html
* [http://www.patentgenius.com/class/PLT/168.html Patents covering Fuji Apples]
* [http://www.plucodes.com/ The International Federation for Produce Coding (IFPC)]
* [http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/nbi-pav032508.php# Popular apple variety harbors unusual cell growth] EurekAlert March 25, 2008