Sunflare, a new apple from the Washington State University (WSU) breeding program, made its debut at the Northwest Horticulture Expo in Yakima, Washington on December 10, 2024. 

"Our breeding program exists to give consumers better apples to eat, and Sunflare checks all our boxes," said Kate Evans, WSU apple breeder. 

A tart, crunchy, juicy cross of Honeycrisp and Cripps Pink—better known as Pink Lady—Sunflare apples will reach grocery stores in 2029. "This name Sunflare hits all those marks," said Jeremy Tamsen, director of the WSU Office of Commercialization.

"These pinks, oranges, and yellows stand out against all the red apples on the shelf."

Sunflare is the third apple to emerge from the WSU breeding program, which launched Sunrise Magic in 2011 and Cosmic Crisp in 2019. Sunflare is a bicoloured apple with a pink blush over a yellow background when ripe, offering a sweet-tart balance and complex flavour.

Scientists bred Sunflare in 1998 by hand-pollinating a Honeycrisp flower with pollen from a Cripps Pink tree at WSU's Columbia View Research Orchard. "We do what the bees do," said retired apple breeder Bruce Barritt. "Sunflare resulted from pollination. It's not engineered or modified in any way."

WSU holds a patent on WA 64 and has filed trademark applications for the Sunflare™ brand name. International New-Varieties Network LLC will manage sales of licensed WA 64 trees and budwood to growers. A marketing advisory committee will help develop branding for the variety. Royalties from sales of Sunflare will support future WSU apple research. Development was funded by the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, and other sources.

Source: WSU Insider December 12, 2024 news item