Apple varieties 'lost over the years' are being kept alive in this collection

Tasmanian apple varieties 'lost over the years' are being kept alive in a university-run, heritage-listed orchard In short: Agricultural scientists and volunteer gardeners are playing their part in reviving a heritage-listed orchard in Launceston. The state government has supplied the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) with more than 140 heritage apple trees. What's next? The additional trees are being planted adjacent to the TIA's new $20 million grow facility currently under construction. It seems every year new apple varieties in rich red hues and catchy names hit supermarket shelves. What you won't find in stores are apple varieties from more than 100 years ago, introduced to Tasmania by colonial settlers. Some have survived in backyards and on old orchards for decades. The fruit perhaps doesn't store as well as modern breeds, but the flavours are rich and complex. So when agricultural scientists at the University of Tasmania's agricultural institute revived an abandoned orchard at their Newnham campus, they knew they'd uncovered something worth keeping. That's because some of the apple and pear trees date back to the 1800s. "This orchard is heritage-listed so we're getting to revitalise it with new techniques but also maintain deep connections to the history,"entomologist Justin Cappadonna said. An additional 11 varieties from the Grove Research Station in the Huon Valley have been recently added to the orchard in the state's north as an insurance population. They include Delicious Royden Red, Bryant Gravenstein, Goldspur, Yoko, Cox Makatdar, Delicious Starkes, Early Stayman, Fuji Ogura, Fuji Brazil, Charden and Lys Golden. "We'll plant them as a genetic bank, a living bank to keep things alive so we have them in the future,"Mr Cappadonna said. "As part of that we're also going to figure out when they're flowering, who pollinates it, when they harvest and all of that baseline data that may have been lost over the years." Local volunteers are helping to maintain the collection too, as well as pick up tips on how to look after their trees at home. Jeff McClintock, the university's community garden coordinator, is part of the team that runs workshops, teaching gardeners about lesser-known apple types, how to prune the trees and keep them healthy. "We want to break down some of those barriers that people might feel about coming onto a university campus," he said. "This is such a great way to do it." Launceston gardener Chris Davey has been lending a hand with the UTAS community garden for the past six months. "I've learnt a lot about pest control, particularly codling moth," he said. "Also some of the better ways to plant trees and pruning strategies to encourage fruiting." With so many varieties in one spot, picking a favourite is hard. But most of the UTAS staff working in the orchard say they can't go past the classic dessert apple Cox Orange Pippin. The highly sought-after variety was introduced into the Huon Valley in the late 1890s. "To pick one of those at the exact stage of ripeness is just a heavenly experience,"Mr McClintock said. "They're juicy, crisp and sweet and a little bit tart, all at the same time." The living library of apple varieties will also become an outdoor classroom for students studying agricultural science at UTAS. Modern growing techniques will be applied to some of the new trees to track the differences in fruit production. "This is my first time trying to grow fruit trees from the ground up," Mr Cappadonna said. "Fortunately, I've got a lot of help."