 On
October 2, 1999, 175 attendees at the Des
Moines Farmers Market
sampled slices of five of the scab-resistant cultivars: Co-op 27,
Co-op 31, Freedom, Jonafree, and Liberty. They then filled out a rating
sheet for appearance, texture, and flavor of each cultivar on a 5-part
scale from 1 (dislike intensely) to 5 (like intensely). These 5 cultivars
were selected for the survey because they ripened at about the same
time (late September). The ratings came out as follows: |
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Table 1. Consumer ratings for 5 scab-immune apple cultivars |
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| In sum, these consumers preferred Freedom to the other scab-resistant cultivars, and over ¾ of them indicated they would be willing to buy it in the marketplace. Over 60% indicated willingness to buy Liberty and Jonafree, and 58% indicated willingness to buy Co-op 31. Co-op 27, on the other hand, was clearly the least preferred apple. |
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Email:
mgleason@iastate.edu Telephone:
(515) 294 0579 Address: 312 Bessey Hall, Iowa State University, Ames IA
50011