An Investigation of United States Apple Producers Trait Prioritization—Evidence from Clicker Surveys

Apple breeders are continually being challenged to meet supply chain members’ expectations through developing superior apple cultivars; however, few studies address how apple traits are prioritized.  This study was conducted as part of a larger study to determine important apple traits to all of the industry’s supply chain members.  Specifically, the focus of this study was the importance of fruit/tree quality traits to apple producers; the traits included fruit crispness, fruit juiciness, fruit flavor, brix, sugar-acid balance, shelf life at retail, freedom from storage disorders, disease resistance, and other.  An ordered probit model was used to investigate the relative importance of the apple traits to producers.  Results show that producers identified fruit flavor and  fruit crispness as more important than fruit firmness, shelf life, sugar-acid balance, freedom from storage disorders, disease resistance, brix, and fruit juiciness.  Regional differences were also noted.   Specifically, disease resistance was more important to Southeastern producers than Northwestern producers.  Additionally, fruit crispness was more important to Midwestern producers than producers from other regions. Our findings provide insights to producers’ preferences for traits which can be of assistance when breeders develop new apple cultivars.