Australian apple breeder John Cripps, who bred the "Pink Lady" apple variety Cripps Pink, has died at the age of 95, according to ABC News.
Cripps was born in England in 1927 and moved to Australia in 1955 to work for the Western Australian Department of Agriculture.It was during this tenure that he developed the now world-renowned apple variety Cripps Pink, a cross between Lady Williams and Golden Delicious, released in 1991.The breed was later sold worldwide under the brand name Pink Lady.He also bred his sibling Cripps Red, which he sells under the Sundowner and Joya brands.
Cripps has made tremendous contributions to the Australian and global apple industry over the years and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia in 2010.In 2015, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia.
His daughter, Helen Cripps, said the family was proud of his contribution to Australian gardening and the honour he had received.
"It took him 25 years of research to bring the Pink Lady apple genetics to where it is today," she said."He's been working on this particular variety, looking at things like colour, sweetness, crispness, early maturity, and having a good shelf life that can be kept in cold storage for a long time for export."
