EMLA 106

The virus-cleaned EMLA clone of MM.106, a semi-dwarfing stock long valued for outstanding precocity, heavy production and good anchorage without a trellis. Its defining flaw is crown rot: widespread collar rot losses followed its 1960s introduction, and WSU explicitly conditions its use on well-drained soil. On good ground it performs excellently — WSU's own Mount Vernon cider trial grew Dabinett, Harry Master's Jersey and Tremlett's (Geneva) on MM.106, so the juice data in this library comes from trees on this stock — but on marginal drainage G.890 is the safer substitute at similar tree size. Discrepancies: Only a minor size spread: WSU says half to two-thirds of a standard tree, extension.org and nurseries say 60-70% at about 12 ft. Recommended the wider 50-70% range since both are university sources and the difference is within normal soil variation. Everything else corroborates cleanly across WSU, extension.org, WVU and two nurseries — notably the crown rot susceptibility, which every source independently flags. Naming note: EMLA 106 is the virus-cleaned clone of MM.106 and the terms are used interchangeably in the sources; no meaningful trait difference is reported between them. Worth recording that WSU's Mount Vernon cider cultivar trial used MM.106 as its standard rootstock, so this stock is well proven for cider varieties in this exact climate — provided drainage is adequate.

Disease: Resistant to woolly apple aphid but EXTREMELY susceptible to Phytophthora collar/crown/root rot. It does not tolerate wet feet and requires genuinely well-drained soil. Only moderately fireblight tolerant. This is the critical constraint for a wet-winter maritime site.