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Kalei apple

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Kalei (pronounced "kay-lee") is a new apple variety developed by the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and released in February 2013.  The word is Hawaiian for "lovable".

It is already available in Australia, and trials are taking place in Europe and the USA.

Kalei is derived from Gala, but developed to be far more scab-resistant than its parent.  Although we are not aware of any apples developed with GMO technology, perhaps wary of the strength of the anti-GM movement the developers stress that Kalei was developed without the use of chemicals or genetic engineering.

USDA identification images for Kalei

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Parents and other ancestors of this variety


    Visitor reviews

    • 05 Nov 2020  NSW, Australia
      Brought from Coles today-good texture, crunchy, sweet much nicer than Pink Lady and would definitely buy again
    • 03 Nov 2020  QUEENSLAND, Australia
      I was excited to try this for the first time after buying from Coles. What a DISAPPOINTMENT! Texture was sandy and clumpy, despite it being fresh from Coles. Flavour was not bad, but not exciting either. I might have excused the taste, but frankly the awful flesh texture is just too terrible to overcome. From some comments, it looks like I'm not the only one who's noticed this defect.
    • 06 Dec 2019  QUEENSLAND, Australia
      Tried one today from a stanthorpe local seller and it's fantastic I'll be looking out for these
    • 22 May 2017  WEST VIRGINIA, United States
      Sweetest apple I have ever tasted! Stays fresh and crisp, ever after cutting, and stored in a plastic bag for over a week! Amazing! Wish I could find more in the USA.
    • 21 May 2017  QLD, Australia
      Bought mine from Coles - Toowoomba in May - super crisp and crunchy. Very sweet - no tartness. Not to my taste but my husband loves it
    • 14 Dec 2016  QUEENSLAND, Australia
      I entirely DISAGREE with the opinion expressed above. I bought a Kalei apple at Coles Toowong today. I found the skin tough and the flesh floury and almost bitter. It was far from the hyped experience I was looking forward to.

    Tree register

    We don't have any registered trees for this variety yet. If you have a Kalei tree you can register it here.

    Origins

    • Species: Malus domestica - Apple
    • Parentage: Royal Gala x CPR7T90
    • Originates from: Stanhope, Queensland, Australia
    • Introduced: 2013
    • Developed by: Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

    Identification

    • Country of origin: Australia

    Where to buy fresh fruit

    No orchards have registered as growing this variety. If you grow this and want to register please go to our Orchard Registration form.



    References


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