 |
Page 2 of 2
Midwest Apple Improvement Association
A Strong Mission
The MAIA was founded in 1998 by Ed Fackler (then owner of Rocky Meadow Orchard and Nursery in Indiana and now a horticulturist with Gardens Alive in Dayton, OH) and Mitch Lynd (American Fruit Grower's 1995 Apple Grower of the Year) of Lynd Fruit Farm in Pataskala, OH. "Most Midwest apples were actually cultivated somewhere else, and are therefore suitable for other climates," says Fackler. "Mitch and I wanted to develop apples suitable for our area."
As indicated by its name, the mission of MAIA is to "develop economically and culturally viable apple cultivars for the Midwest." This is accomplished through four objectives:
• Reliable and productive cropping equal to or better than varieties such as Honeycrisp; • Fire blight and scab resistances; • Frost tolerances, and; • Qualities acceptable to the modern consumer: size, firmness, storability, flavor, unique qualities, and maturity fitting with other new varieties to lengthen the apple season.
To meet these objectives, the grower-driven MAIA works with researchers from the Ohio State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, and others, and is also developing a marketing program for the varieties discovered. Recently, Kazakstan apple genetic material was made available to Midwest growers, and the diverse genetics of these samples offers hope for breeding apples suitable to the climate of the Midwest. "In the process of developing these breeding efforts, we've learned a lot about the genetics of apples," says Fackler.
For more information on the Midwest Apple Improvement Association, go to
www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/maia/
|
