A new apple developed by University of Minnesota researchers is making its way into the early-season apple market. Temporarily named the MN55, the new variety is a cross between the popular Honeycrisp apple and the MonArk, an apple known for its early ripening date.

Jim Luby, apple researcher and director of the university's fruit crops breeding project, said he and several others began developing the new apple in 1997 to get the qualities of Honeycrisp into an apple that ripens about a month earlier. Many early season apples tend to be soft and to spoil easily, he said.

The flavor, juiciness and appearance of the apple may boost early season sales, researchers said, and jump-start trips to pick-your-own apple orchards that peak in late September.

Despite the apple's many good qualities, which include long storage, it may have one downside. MN55 apples sometimes fall off trees prematurely, Luby said.

Minnesota growers and orchards are able to grow and sell MN55 now, but it won't be widely available for a few years until trees grow larger. Washington-based Stemilt Growers is licensed to market the new apple nationally, and expects to begin shipping it to grocers across the country in a few years.

In the meantime, the University and Stemilt are trying to come up with a permanent name for the apple that will be unique and easy to remember.

Earlycrisp? HoneyMon?