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MPR News with Angela Davis
Angela Davis and Cari Dwyer

The science and art of breeding, growing and tasting fruit

two men pose for a portrait
Jim Luby (left), a professor emeritus in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota, and Matt Clark (right), associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota and director of research at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, pose for a portrait in the Kling Public Media Center in St. Paul on Monday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

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Minnesota 55, Minnesota 1711, Minnesota 1914. Those names don’t sound crunchy, juicy, sweet or snappy — but they’re all apples. 

Those assigned research numbers became the Honeycrisp, SweeTango and First Kiss apples you may know and love. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two fruit breeders who helped bring some of your favorite apples to market. Their work has also led to new varieties of strawberries, blueberries and grapes that can handle Minnesota winters. 

three people posing for a photo
MPR News host Angela Davis (right) talks with Jim Luby (center), a professor emeritus in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota, and Matt Clark (left), associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota and director of research at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, in an MPR News studio in St. Paul on Monday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

Guests:

  • Jim Luby is a professor emeritus in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota. He directed the university’s fruit crops breeding program for 42 years. Some of the famous fruits he helped develop include the Honeycrisp and SweeTango apples.    

  • Matt Clark, associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota and director of research at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 

 Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.     

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.