Resilient Roots, Delicious Fruits

Top Five Fav Disease Resistant Varieties

Every orchardist, large or small, knows that keeping apple trees healthy can be a challenge. Common diseases like apple scab, fire blight, and cedar apple rust can weaken trees, reduce fruit production, and make orchard maintenance a struggle. Fortunately, many modern cultivars have been introduced that are disease-resistant apple varieties and thrive with less spraying and care—perfect for home growers and sustainable orchards alike.

Why Choose Disease-Resistant Apples?

Cultivars with natural immunity or resistance offer several advantages:
• Less Maintenance: Fewer sprays and treatments mean less work for you and more time to enjoy the trees and the bounty.
• Healthier Trees: Resistant trees stay vigorous, consistent, and productive even in challenging conditions.
• Eco-Friendly Orcharding: Reducing chemical use benefits pollinators, YOU and your family, flora, fauna, soil, and water health.

Our Picks for Flavor and Disease-Resistance

Here are a few of our favorite apple varieties, in order of age, that stand strong against common diseases (you can click on the links to learn more about each):

Pixie Crunch

Pixie Crunch, or Co-op 33, is a 1971 cultivar of the PRI Institute grown at Purdue University. Descended from the Golden Delicious and Red Rome (amongst others), this apple is prized for its crisp texture and disease resistance. The apple is small to medium, with dark red skin and yellow extremely crispy flesh. Perfect for the home grower- the tree stays small and is immune to scab.

Enterprise

First developed in the Purdue University Horticultural Farm in 1982, the Enterprise Apple is another of several modern apples prized for its disease resistance and ease of growth. Counted among its parents are the Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, McIntosh, and the Malus floribunda. It is from this final apple, the Malus floribunda, that the gene for scab resistance originates. 

Galarina

First crossed at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in Angers, France, in 1985 as a disease-resistant offspring of the Gala Apple. Its parents, the Kidd D-8 and Florina display remarkable resistance to various apple ailments. It is very resistant against Scab, Fireblight, Powdery Mildew, and Apple Cedar Rust. The apple is similar to Gala in both taste and appearance, though it keeps its flavor in storage longer. The Gala parentage gives this apple a slightly orange blush and balanced sweetness.  

GoldRush

Introduced from the Purdue-Rutgers-U of I Apple Breeding Program in 1994, the GoldRush apple is an excellent late-season apple. The apple is medium to large, oval-shaped, and slightly conical. Its skin is greenish yellow at harvest and turns to a saturated yellow, blushing to red slightly. The flesh is pale yellow, medium-grained, firm, and crunchy. The juice is acidic and sweet, but after a month or more of storage, that acid mellows out, and GoldRush hits peak flavor. Arguably the best apple for food plots and wildlife. The tree is resistant to Scab, Mildew, and Fireblight and pollinates well with other late-season apples.

Heliodor

Created at the Experimental Botany in Prague in 2008, this apple is a cross between the prolific Golden Delicious and the modern Topaz apples. It is medium to large, round to slightly conical, with mild ribbing along its sides. The skin is bright yellow with a faint orange hue on the sun side and is smooth and waxy. The waxiness helps this apple store for a long time—up to 20 weeks in proper storage. It is resistant to scab and tolerant of powdery mildew. 

 

These varieties are available and in stock for ordering now, and shipping begins in just a few weeks. Our team can assist with any questions you may have regarding zones, rootstocks, sizes, growing conditions, and best practices.

Ready to Plant? Visit us to find your perfect apple tree today!