Scarlett Sentinel

Apple

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'McIntosh Wijcik'

Summary: The one year old shoots of 'Scarlett Sentinel' are thick and have shorter internodes than the shoots of 'McIntosh Wijcik'. 'Scarlett Sentinel' has longer leaves with more anthocyanin than 'McIntosh Wijcik'. 'Scarlett Sentinel' has larger fruit which is more asymmetrical. The fruit has a longer stalk than 'McIntosh Wijcik' and the skin has greenish-yellow ground colour while 'McIntosh Wijcik' has green ground colour. 'Scarlett Sentinel' has a more distinct core line and matures later than the reference variety.

Description:

'Scarlett Sentinel' is a dessert fruit apple variety which produces trees with weak to intermediate vigour and a columnar growth habit. There are a low number of branches which are strong. The angle of the bearing branches with the trunk is 70-80 degrees. The fruit is borne on spurs. The dormant one year old shoots have strong to very strong pubescence on the upper half and a medium to strong shine of the bark. The shoots are very inflexible. the shoots have a medium number of lenticels which are small to medium in size. The lateral buds are large in size with pointed tips. The position of the bud relative to the axis is adpressed and the bud support is medium in size.

The colour of the growing tip is pale green and the shoot tip leaves are concave to straight in cross section. The shoot tip leaves have weak pubescence on the upper side. The lower side of the shoot tip leaves are green in colour with some purple on the veins and leaf surface. The leaves have no lobing and are large in size. The mature leaves are held slightly downwards from the branch. The apex is acuminate to cuspidate in shape and the margins are serrate. The upper side of the leaves of 'Scarlett Sentinel' have weak to medium glossiness, with moderate pubescence on the lower side. There is medium to strong anthocyanin colouration in the veins. The upper side of the blade has strong to very strong anthocyanin colouration in the veins and petiole with some speckles and blotches on the leaf surface and margins. Before leaf fall the leaves are bronze - green in colour and leaf fall is medium to late.

Bud burst for 'Scarlett Sentinel' is early to mid-season and occurs around May 1-2 in Summerland, British Columbia. The time of beginning of flowering occurs around May 9-10. The flower are single and have a green pedicel. 'Scarlett Sentinel' has elliptic to broad elliptic shaped petals which are slightly overlapping.

The fruit of 'Scarlett Sentinel' is very large in diameter, asymmetric and globose to flat globose in shape. There is weak fruit ribbing and crowning at the distal end is very weak. The eye is small in size with a half open aperture. The calyx persists in mature fruit and has short sepals which are strongly overlapping. The eye basin is shallow in depth and medium in width. The fruit has a short stalk. The stalk cavity is medium to deep in length and medium to broad in width. The surface of the fruit is smooth, with weak bloom and weak to medium waxiness. The skin is not translucent and is medium to thick with a greenish-yellow ground colour when the fruit is fully mature. There is over colour on the skin which is a washed out rose red blush with darker rose red stripes and flecking. 'Scarlett Sentinel' has a very low amount of russet present which is located around the eye basin. The lenticels are small in size and not prominent. 'Scarlett Sentinel' has white to greenish flesh. The core line is strongly distinct and the aperture of the locules is open.

The fruit of 'Scarlett Sentinel' matures late to very late and has medium to long persistence and good fruit setting. At maturity the seed is brown and teardrop in shape. 'Scarlett Sentinel' has no cracking of the skin and stem cavity. It has weak browning of the flesh, an intermediate texture and no grittiness. The fruit juiciness is medium and 'Scarlett Sentinel' has an annual cropping frequency.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Scarlett Sentinel' originated from a cross made in 1986 at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, in Summerland, British Columbia. The cross was 'Discovery' x 8C-17-36. 8C-17-36 originated from a Wijcik Spur MacIntosh x Delicious cross. Selection criteria included fruit colour, taste, size, maturity date, storage life and firmness and tree growth habit, precocity and productivity. 'Scarlett Sentinel' was given the experimental designation 8C-40-11 in 1998 and propagated on Malling 26 rootstock in 1989. Evaluation of the variety occurred between 1988 and 1995.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Scarlett Sentinel' were conducted from 1996 and 1997 in Summerland, British Columbia. 'Scarlett Sentinel' was on M26 rootstock and 'McIntosh Wijcik' was on M7 rootstock. Measured characteristics were based on a minimum of ten measurements.

Comparison tables for 'Scarlett Sentinel' with reference variety 'McIntosh Wijcik'

Thickness of dormant one year old shoot (mm)

Length of internode of dormant one year old shoot (mm)

Leaf length (mm)

Leaf width (mm)

Petiole length (mm)

Colour of flower bud (RHS)

Flower diameter (mm)

Diameter of fruit (mm)

Colour of fruit skin (RHS)