Gala (apple)


Gala is a clonally propagated apple cultivar with a mild and sweet flavour. In 2018, it surpassed Red Delicious as the apple cultivar with the highest production in the United States, according to the US Apple Association. It was the first time in over 50 years that any cultivar was produced more than Red Delicious.

Appearance and flavour

Gala apples are non-uniform in colour, usually vertically striped or mottled, with overall orange color. They are sweet, fine textured, and aromatic, can be added to salads, cooked, or eaten raw, and are especially suitable for creating sauces.

History

The first Gala apple tree was one of many seedlings resulting from a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Kidd's Orange Red planted in New Zealand in the 1930s by orchardist J.H. Kidd. Donald W. McKenzie, an employee of Stark Bros Nursery, obtained a US plant patent for the cultivar on October 15, 1974. It is a relatively new introduction to the UK, first planted in commercial volumes during the 1980s. The variety now represents about 20% of the total volume of the commercial production of eating apples grown in the UK, often replacing Cox's Orange Pippin.

Sports (mutations)

Many sports of Gala have been selected, mostly for increased red color, including the popular Royal Gala. The original cultivar produced fruit with orange stripes and a partial orange blush over a yellow background. Since then, several un-patented sports have been recognized. Additionally, more than twenty sports have received US plant patents:
Date"Inventor"Marketed asMutated fromAssigneeHabitPatternEarlierColorPlant patent number
Oct 15, 1974McKenzieGala–Starkstandardpartial blush–yellow
Oct 4, 1977Ten HoveRoyal Gala, TenroyGala3637Starkstandardstripe–red
May 10, 1988CreechScarlet GalaKidd's D-83637C & 0standardblush–scarlet
Aug 1, 1989KiddleGalaxyTenroy4121Starkstandardstripeearlierintense red
Dec 18, 1990CooperTreco Spur Red Gala No. 42, RegalAuvilOregon Rootstockspurstripe–red
Jul 16, 1991FulfordFulfordKidd3637standardblush–bright red
Mar 1, 1994OlsenObrogala, UltraRedTenroy4121Starkstandardstripe2–4 daysredder
Apr 5, 1994WaliserWaliser GalaTenroy4121Waliserstandardstripe10 daysbright red
May 10, 1994HillApplewaitesKidd's3637standardblush2–3 daysmore complete red
Nov 5, 1996OlsenOlsentwo Gala, Pacific GalaRoyal Gala4121standardstripe5–10 daysdistinguishably different
Sep 2, 1997BrookfieldBaigentRoyal Gala4121Brookfieldstandardstripeextremely earlybright red
Nov 11, 1997GaleGale GalaRoyal Gala4121Van Wellstandardstripe3 weeksmore complete
Jun 23, 1998FacklerBig Red GalaKidd's3637Protreestandardstripe–same
Mar 30, 1999SimmonsSimmonsImperialPeace Valleystandardstripe21 daysbrighter red
Jan 18, 2000StiekemaStiekema 1Obragala8621standardblush–red
Apr 11, 2000McSpadden, JrCaitlinTenroy4121Starkstandardstripe"earlier"–
Aug 13, 2002BlackHarry BlackKidd's3637International Plant Managementstandardstripe5 wk. later–
Apr 29, 2003BanningBanning GalaImperialstandardstripe–intense red blush, darker stripe
Jan 6, 2004SmithSmith galaTenroy4121standardstripe–yellow
May 4, 2004WeaverWeaverFulford7589Adams County Nurserymore compactblush–bright red
Jan 4, 2005LigonniereDalitogaImperialSNC Elarisstandardstripe3 wk.yellow
Aug 15, 2006BurkittBurkitt GalaTenroy4121BMA Truststandardstripe10 d.completely red
Feb 26, 2008McDonaldEl NiñoRoyal4121standardintense dark red stripebright red
Jul 8, 2008McLaughlinMcLaughlin Gala, BlondeeKidd's3637standardno striping or blush4—6 d.yellow
Dec 30, 2008FankhauserAlvniaGalaFankhauserstandardstripes"earlier"red, > 95A% coverage
Apr 14, 2009RichardGalavalGalaxy6955Pepinieres du Valoisstandardblush–intense dark purple brown

Unpatented varieties include: Auvil, Imperial

Descendant cultivar(s)

Gala apples are grown from May through September in the northern hemisphere, but, like most apples, are available almost all year through the use of cold storage and controlled atmosphere storage. Australian Gala are available from late January. California fruit is available until October.
While the season usually lasts only 9 or 10 months, they are able to last all year round. However, due to some apples continuing to be grown in some orchards, and the fact that they can be refrigerated for some months leads to the availability of the Gala apple year-round in some Australian markets. These usually taste different from those in season. The UK season begins in late summer. Storage makes the UK fruit available nearly year-round as with fruit from other origins.

Royal Gala sport

Royal Gala is a Gala sport, patented by Stark in 1977, which produces redder fruits than the original cultivar. It is a pink-red dessert apple and is therefore usually eaten fresh. Royal Galas are usually harvested in early to late February in the southern hemisphere. In New Zealand the pinker original Gala has almost disappeared as a commercial apple in favor of the darker-skinned Royal Gala.

Storage

The optimum temperature for storing apples is between −1° and 1 °C, and the optimum relative humidity is 90 to 95%. Ethelyne gas accelerates ripening of apples, as with many other fruit.

Listeria

At the beginning of 2015, Royal Gala and Granny Smith apples from the United States were identified as the likely cause of a Listeriosis outbreak. Listeria is a bacterium that can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, neck stiffness, and can be dangerous to people with deficient immune systems.