Davison Gala

Apple

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Olsentwo Gala' (Pacific Gala) and 'Royal Gala'

Summary: 'Davison Gala' is a sport of 'Royal Gala' and is distinguished from 'Royal Gala' and 'Olsentwo Gala' by the very high amount of bright red overcolour which develops simultaneously on the fruit. By comparison, 'Royal Gala' has a low to medium amount of overcolour and 'Olsentwo Gala' has a moderately high amount. The overcolour in 'Royal Gala' is in flecks and streaks, in 'Olsentwo Gala' it is flecks, streaks and blush, and in 'Davison Gala' it is mostly blush with some streaks and flecks. The fruit of 'Davison Gala' has more prominent lenticels than either of the two reference varieties and has yellowish coloured flesh, whereas 'Olsentwo Gala' and 'Royal Gala' both have cream coloured flesh. 'Davison Gala' also has a longer, thicker fruit stalk than the reference varieties. In the Okanagan valley 'Davison Gala' matures about one week earlier than 'Royal Gala' and 'Olsentwo Gala'.

Description:

TREE: medium vigour, upright habit, fruit bearing on spurs
BRANCHES: high frequency, medium strength, more than 90 degrees to trunk
ONE-YEAR OLD SHOOT: weak to medium pubescence, medium shine on bark, medium flexibility, medium to many small lenticels, brown on sunny side
LATERAL BUD: medium size, pointed tip, adpressed to axis, medium size bud support

SHOOT TIP LEAF: green, concave in cross section, no pubescence on upper side, green on lower side
MATURE LEAF: no lobing, medium size, upwards orientation, acuminate apex, serrate margin, medium glossiness on upper side, moderate pubescence on lower side, medium to dark green on upper side, no anthocyanin colouration

FLOWER: single, mid-season flowering, medium pink and white bud in balloon stage, green pedicel
PETAL: ovate, free margins, dark purple red and white on upper side, purple and white on lower side

FRUIT: large size, globose conical shape, asymmetric in side view, medium ribbing, medium to strong crowning at distal end, large open eye, early to mid-season maturity
SEPAL: persistent, medium length, touching at base
EYE BASIN: deep, medium width
FRUIT STALK: medium to thick, long, moderately deep and wide stalk cavity
FRUIT SKIN: smooth, medium bloom, medium waxiness, medium translucence, creamy yellow ground colour, very high amount of red to dark red overcolour, overcolour blushed with flecks and streaks, very low amount of russet on cheeks, prominent medium sized lenticels
FRUIT FLESH: yellowish, very weak core line, open aperture of locules, very firm, intermediate texture, medium to high juiciness, strong browning tendency one hour after cutting

SEED: brown, normal shape

Origin & Breeding History: 'Davison Gala' was discovered as a single branch sport of 'Royal Gala' at Davison's Orchard in Vernon, B.C. in September 1999. A single tree of 'Royal Gala' was cut off and a single bud grew to become the top of the tree. This branch, which became the leader, showed a higher degree of over-colouring than the original 'Royal Gala' tree, and the colour was uniform, covering 90% to 100% of the skin. Full colour developed on all fruit simultaneously. This simultaneous colouring allows the apple to be harvested in one or at most 2 picks. The selection criteria used were fruit quality, colour, size, taste, form, maturity date, firmness and storage life. Also considered were tree growth habit, precocity, productivity and harvest indices. The variety was multiplied by budding on Malling 9 and Budagovsky 9 rootstock in 2000, and the resulting generations were evaluated until 2005.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Davison Gala' were conducted at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, B.C. from 2002 to 2005. The 'Davison Gala' and 'Royal Gala' selection were from Davison's Orchard, Vernon, B.C. and the 'Olsentwo Gala' selection was from the Certified Budwood Orchard in Summerland. The original buds were propagated in nurseries in the Certified Budwood Orchard and planted in a soft fruit block "B" at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre. The trials consisted of 10 trees per variety. Measured characteristics were based on a minimum of 10 measurements.

Comparison tables for 'Davison Gala' with reference varieties 'Olsentwo Gala' and 'Royal Gala'

Leaf length (mm)

Leaf width (mm)

Diameter of flower (mm)

Colour of petal (RHS)

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Apple: 'Davison Gala' (centre) with reference varieties 'Royal Gala' (left) and 'Olsentwo Gala' (right)

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Apple: 'Davison Gala' (top) with reference variety 'Royal Gala' (bottom)