The same WA researchers that developed the Pink Lady have grown a new “black apple”, following 20 years of research.
The Department of Agriculture and Food has 75,000 trees sitting in nurseries near Manjimup ready to distribute to growers, The West Australian reports.
It’s expected it will take about two years for the fruit officially known as ANABP 1 to appear on shop shelves.
Agriculture Minister Ken Baston revealed on Wednesday (2 July) that agreements were in place for the apple to go into commercial production, with Fruit West Co-operative managing the process.
Baston said the royalty stream had the potential to underpin the future of Australian apple breeding.
Fruit West Co-operative chairman Ben Darbyshire said he took his hat off to the world-class team based at Manjimup who developed the apple.
"It is a special apple in a lot of ways," Mr Darbyshire said. "It connects with the eye and has a magical taste.
"This apple will be available for every grower to plant and ultimately it will be dev-eloped as a global variety.
"We have tried to align it with the Pink Lady, which came out of the same world-class breeding program."
The apple has been kept under wraps up until now after it was assessed and the intellectual property rights locked away.
The fruit has been taste-tested in virtual secret on consumers while trees were grown in limited numbers on South West orchards.
The apple was developed under the Australian National Apple Breeding Program with investment from the State Government and Horticulture Australia.