Cultivar 256: Parkland

Parkland is a prairie apple from the cross Rescue x Melba. It was developed in the Morden breeding program and introduced in 1979. Sources place its origin at Morden Research Station in Manitoba, with selection work at Lacombe in Alberta and release through the Prairie Co operative Fruit Breeding Project. Dr. C. R. Ure is named as the breeder. It was also selected as 51-101-1 and tested as PF 26. Parkland was recommended across the Prairie Provinces and appears often in prairie recommendation lists as an all purpose standard apple. [S3] [S2] [S6] [S1]

The fruit is usually described as medium to fairly large, about 6 to 7 cm across, and round oblate. It is greenish yellow to green yellow, with a light to stronger red blush or striping on the sunny side. The flesh is creamy white, sometimes with a green tinge. The flavor is moderately acid but pleasant. Sources consistently place it in the mid August season, with storage of about six to eight weeks. It was valued for fresh eating and cooking, though some shorter descriptions emphasize it more as a cooking apple. [S2] [S3] [S6] [S4] [S8]

Parkland is described as a compact tree. One source calls it semi vigorous and upright spreading. It tends to bear annually but can overcrop, and several sources note that it drops badly or needs heavy thinning. Regular pruning and fruit thinning were recommended to control its tendency toward biennial bearing. [S1] [S6]

Its hardiness record is prairie based but not fully consistent. Prairie recommendation tables list it for both more favorable and less favorable zones, and one coded recommendation list gives it the top H1 hardiness class. Other Saskatchewan tables place it as moderately hardy and still needing further testing there, while a cultivar sheet states it is hardy to zone 2a. Fire blight evidence also conflicts. Saskatchewan tables rate it moderately resistant, while one later cultivar sheet calls it susceptible. [S2] [S1] [S4] [S8] [S6]

Parkland is part of the line of prairie apples bred for useful dessert and kitchen fruit under cold continental conditions. It also appears later as a parent in University of Saskatchewan breeding history, where it contributed to advanced selections from the Prairie Fruit Co op Program. That later breeding use is descendant context, not Parkland's own parentage. [S5]

Summary source basis

• S1: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada
• S2: Tree fruit production for the Prairie Provinces
• S3: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.
• S4: HortFactsAppleCultivars CStushnoff 1985
• S5: ANCESTRY OF APPLE SELECTIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
• S6: Parkland
• S7: hortfacts_1976_3.pdf
• S8: hortfacts stushnoff

This summary currently draws chiefly from Edible Apples in Prairie Canada, with 7 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Flesh is cream-white, tinged green.”
— ^[1]

“Early ripening, about mid-August.”
— ^[1]

“Falls quite badly.”
— ^[1]

“All purpose.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Parentage is Rescue x Melba.
• Rescue x Melba.
• Listed as 'Rescue' x 'Melba'.
• Parentage: Rescue x Melba.
• Parentage given as Rescue x Melba.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• Haralson (lineage link)

Source-story quotations

• Parkland – fruit greenish-yellow with red striping – good for eating or cooking – ripens late AugustFruit Crops for Northern Manitoba, p13
• Parkland – fruit greenish-yellow with red striping – good for eating or cooking – ripens late AugustFruit Crops for Northern Manitoba, p13
• Parkland – fruit greenish-yellow with red striping – good for eating or cooking – ripens late AugustFruit Crops for Northern Manitoba, p13
• Parkland – fruit greenish-yellow with red striping – good for eating or cooking – ripens late AugustFruit Crops for Northern Manitoba, p13

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context