Apple tree (Malus domestica) EKSOTIKA

Apple (Malus domestica) Eksotika

A Latvian variety with exceptionally beautiful fruits and excellent taste.

'Eksotika' is a Latvian late autumn to early winter apple variety, prized for its early entry into bearing, high productivity, and especially for its exceptionally beautiful, glossy, dark red fruits with an excellent flavor. The tree has a smaller, compact, and upright growth habit. The fruits are medium to large, almost entirely covered in an intense dark red color. The flesh is white with pink veins, juicy, aromatic, and very tasty, with a predominance of sweetness. The variety has good frost hardiness and medium resistance to diseases.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Exceptionally beautiful fruit appearance: Glossy, dark red fruits are an ornament to the tree.
• Excellent sweet taste: The flesh is juicy, aromatic, with a predominance of sweetness.
• Marbled flesh: White flesh with pink veins and coloration under the skin.
• Early entry into bearing and high productivity.
• Good storability.
• Compact growth suitable for smaller gardens.

Origin and Registration

• Country of origin: Latvia
• Institution: Pūres DPC (Pūre Horticultural Research Centre)
• Year of registration: Registered and protected in Latvia since 2011.

Variety Characteristics

Tree

Growth is smaller, compact, and upright. Mature trees have a more spreading crown. The upright growth requires shortening the central leader on young trees. It comes into bearing early, productivity is high, with a slight tendency towards biennial bearing. The average yield at the beginning of full bearing is around 13.4 t/ha. It is cross-pollinated.

Fruit

• Size and weight: Large to very large; on the B.396 rootstock, the weight ranges from 93 to 167 grams.
• Shape: Globular to oval, uniform.
• Appearance: Exceptionally beautiful, picturesque. The base yellow color is almost invisible; the fruit is almost entirely covered by an intense, dark red color. The fruits are glossy with a prominent waxy bloom.
• Flesh: White, with pink veins and coloration under the skin, creating a marbled appearance. The texture is medium-firm and juicy.
• Taste: Excellent, sweet with a mild acidity, aromatic.

Resistance and Requirements

• Frost hardiness: Good.
• Disease resistance: Medium resistance to scab, powdery mildew, canker, and fruit rot.
• Pests: Susceptible to damage from apple blossom weevil and aphids.

Growing Recommendations

• Suitability: Recommended for commercial orchards with integrated production and for home gardens.
• Protection: In home gardens, the resistance to diseases and pests is acceptable even without chemical protection.
• Suitable rootstocks: MM 106, B.118, B.9, B.396.
• Planting distance: On dwarfing rootstocks (e.g., B.396), a spacing denser than 1.5 m between trees is not recommended.

Harvest and Storage

• Harvest time: Late September to October. It is important not to miss the optimal harvest time, as the fruits tend to drop.
• Storability: In a regular cold store until January. In a ULO (Ultra Low Oxygen) cold store for up to 6 months, until March.
• Use: Universal.