Apple tree (Malus domestica) SIGNE TILLISCH

Apple (Malus domestica) 'Signe Tillisch'

An old Danish variety with excellent flavour and large fruits.

'Signe Tillisch' is a well-known and popular old Danish apple variety, named after the breeder's daughter. It is valued for its large fruits with an excellent, delicious, and aromatic flavour. It is a good pollinator, but its fruits are sensitive to bruising and susceptible to scab, making it unsuitable for commercial cultivation.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Excellent fruit flavour.
• It is a good pollinator.
• Fruits do not drop.
• Large fruits.

Origin and Registration

• Country of origin: Denmark (Bjerre near Horsens)
• Breeder: Hardesvogt Tillisch
• Origin: Chance seedling
• Year of registration: Old variety, since 1866.

Variety Characteristics

Tree

• Growth: Medium to vigorous.
• Crown: Tall, regularly globular, broad.
• Flowering: Semi-early.
• Pollination: It is a good pollinator. It is cross-pollinated.

Fruit

• Size and weight: Large, with a weight of 190 – 700 g.
• Shape and colour: Oblate, ribbed, asymmetrical. Yellow, with an orange-red tint on the sunny side.
• Skin: Delicate, very thin, smooth, glossy.
• Flesh: White to yellowish, very fine, soft, dense, brittle, and very juicy.
• Flavour: Excellent, gently sub-acid, sweetish, delicious, aromatic.
• Use: Excellent for fresh consumption, also suitable for processing.

Resistance and Requirements

• Frost resistance: Medium.
• Disease resistance: Susceptible to scab.
• Requirements: Suitable for altitudes up to 600 m. Requires moist, fertilized soil and a location protected from wind.

Cultivation Recommendations

• Suitable pollinators include ‘Cox's Orange Pippin’, ‘Croncels’, ‘James Grieve’, ‘Laxton's Superb’, ‘McIntosh Red’, ‘White Transparent’, ‘Yellow Richard’, ‘White Winter Calville’.
• The fruits are susceptible to bitter pit with excess nitrogen and have a tendency for internal browning.

Harvest and Storage

• Harvest time: September to the first half of October.
• Storability: Until November-December.
• Yield: High, but with a tendency to alternate bearing.
• Entry into bearing: Medium-late.
• Transportability: Poor, the fruits are sensitive to bruising.