The discovery of the Bigbucks apple variety by Buks Nel near Grabouw thirteen years ago marked a significant milestone in South Africa’s apple industry. The Bigbucks apple, a full-red Gala-type variety, quickly became the fastest-growing variety ever planted in the country.
With about 2.5 million trees now planted, the majority of which are still young, producers are continuously learning and adapting to achieve the best results with this exceptional variety.
Calla du Toit, a pome producer from the Witzenberg Valley and chairperson of the Bigbucks Growers Association, highlights the rapid adoption of the Bigbucks apple.
“As the first full-red Gala-type apple in South Africa, producers had a healthy appetite to plant Bigbucks. It was the fastest-growing variety ever in South Africa, and within five years, about two million trees were established. The uptake was incredible,” Du Toit said.
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Planting new apple varieties
According to Du Toit, with any new variety it takes time for producers to learn about it and get the best results.
“Bigbucks is an exceptional variety with the genetic potential to realise sky-high on-tree pack-out percentages. If you have disciplined production, handling, packing, and marketing, it is not impossible to export 80-90% of the apples on the tree,” he said.
The technical advisor of Ceres Fruit Growers, De Kock Hamman, supports this view, emphasising that only about 5% of the fruit is culled in the orchard.
“Bigbucks apples colour well, no matter where they are planted, but to market them under the Flash Gala brand, we aim to have at least 80% high-intensity colour and high fruit pressures.
“As with any apple variety, producers should consider their altitude, cold units, water availability, soil type, and the macro and micro climates on their farms before deciding on a site to establish an orchard. Nets can be considered in warmer areas to avoid sunburn or heat damage,” he said.
Despite its impressive genetic colouring ability, determining the optimal picking ripeness for the full-red Bigbucks apples can be challenging.
Du Toit recommends using scientific methods to decide on the ideal harvesting date, considering parameters like fruit pressure and starch conversion to ensure a positive eating experience. Adhering to the optimal picking date, even if it requires harvesting twice in the same orchard, is critical.
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