| Malus domestica | |
|---|---|
 Two Empire apples | |
| Species | Malus domestica |
| Hybrid parentage | McIntosh × Red Delicious |
| Cultivar | Empire |
| Breeder | Lester C. Anderson |
| Origin |  Geneva, New York, 1945 |
Empire is aclonally propagatedcultivar ofapple derived from a seed sown in 1945 by Lester C. Anderson, aCornell University fruit nutritionist who conducted open pollination research on his various orchards.[1]Pomologist and apple breeder Roger Way named this new variety the Empire was named after its home state, New York (the "Empire State").[2][3] This variety is mostly grown in the Northeastern United States.[1]
Empire apples are harvested in early October,[4] after the McIntosh and before the Red Delicious.[1] Though not as easy to grow as the McIntosh,[5] the Empire is a low-maintenance and high-yield variety.[6] Pre-harvest drop rarely occurs.[5][7]Pollinating partners of the Empire include theCortland,Fuji, andJonathan.[8]
The original seed was a cross between theMcIntosh andRed Delicious varieties,[9] both highly popular at the time.[7] The Empire has tough, chewy, crimson and yellow-green skin,[2] covering its white fresh.[9] It is crisp, sweet, tart, vinous, juicy,[6][10] and is slower to brown than most,[11] making it excellent for snacking and salads,[12] and good forsauce, baking,[13]pies, freezing,[9][14] candies,[15] and savory dishes.[11] Being resistant to bruising, Empire apples are also suitable for lunch boxes.[6][10] Incontrolled-atmosphere storage, the Empire can last for up to ten months.[2] The Royal Empire, a mutant or sport of the Empire, can be planted further to the south than other McIntosh offspring.[7]
In terms of taste and texture, the Empire is comparable to the RubyFrost.[16]
In 1945, under the direction of A. J. Heinicke, scientists from theNew York State Agricultural Experiment Station of Cornell University inGeneva,New York, harvested the Empire seed together with thousands of its siblings.[1] Breeders sought to create a new variety that was disease-resistant and had the flavor of the McIntosh and the sweetness of the Red Delicious.[1][7] Over four thousand seeds were extracted and sent to Geneva for planting.[7] The Geneva teams grew and tested ever dwindling sub-populations of the sibling group until 1966, when the final selection, the Empire, was released to the public at the New York Fruit Testing Association meetings in Geneva.[1] Cornell University commercially released the Empire with no restrictions or brand management. As a result, this variety was cultivated in large quantities during the late twentieth century.[17] In 1974, the U.S. Department of Agriculture even listed the Empire as commercially valuable.[7]
In 1986, the Teeple family of orchardists inWolcott, New York, spotted a limb sport that was redder than the Empire but was otherwise the same.[18] They patented it, but donated the rights to Cornell University, realizing that the original breeder of the apple received no financial compensation for their work. This sport is now marketed as the Teeple Red Empire or Royal Empire.[7] Being much redder, a high percentage of Royal Empire apples could qualify for the "extra fancy" grade.[18] On the thirtieth anniversary of its commercial release, 1996, the Empire was the fifth most grown apple variety in New York State.[7] Since then, its popularity has waned due to the advent of newer varieties.[17] Even so, according to theU.S. Apple Association, it is one of the nine most popular apple cultivars in that country.[19] By the early 2010s, it ranked eighth in total American production.[1][6] As of the 2020s, well over half of American Empire apples were harvested in New York State. Significant amounts also came from Michigan, and to a lesser extent, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.[20]: 20
They are also grown on a smaller scale in Canada and the United Kingdom.[2] In Canada, the majority of Empire apples are grown in Quebec and Ontario.[20]: 38
By the year 2001, three mutant cultivars (sports) of the Empire had received US plant patents. None of them were mutants of mutants:
| Date | Discoverer(s) | Marketed as | Assignee | Earlier | Color | Plant patent number |
| Mar 10, 1992 | Harold F. Teeple, Russel H. Teeple, John B. Teeple | Teeple Red Empire, Royal Empire | Cornell | No | redder | US plant patent 7820 |
| Oct 20, 1992 | Harold Thome | TF808 | Inter-Plant Patent Marketing | 5—7 days | redder | US plant patent 8010 |
| Feb 1, 2000 | Jeffrey D. Crist | CB515, Crown Empire | Adams County Nursery | 2.5 weeks | redder | US plant patent 11201 |
