It may not have a very appealing name - RS 103-130 - but this new breed of apple is said to be revolutionary, apparently surviving out of the fridge for more than two weeks with no sign of softening, and a fantastic flavour to boot.

The deep red apple has been developed by scientists in Australia, and is extremely disease resistant, particularly to black spot, as it is bred using genes from the Asiatic variety Malus Floribunda, which has a track record of resilience.

The variety would require little or no spraying, benefiting both the grower's wallet and the environment, whilst less cold storage would also save money and fuel.

The next step is for the breed to be trialled in the UK, to see how well it grows and whether consumers like it - hopefully they'll have come up with a more inspiring name by then. Watch this space.

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