First and foremost, apples are extremely sensitive to a soil-borne fungal pathogen known as Cotton Root Rot  (Phymatotricum omnivorum).  This disease organism is present in most locations in Texas except the north of the Caprock in the south plains of the Texas panhandle.  Even though Cotton Root Rot can be found in the acid soils of east Texas, it is much more of a problem in more alkaline soils.  This fungal disease has caused severe losses in many hill country apple orchards.

The second limitation is a lack of winter chilling.  Apple varieties, like other deciduous fruit crops have specific chilling requirements.  Most apple orchards are located in the Pacific Northwest or near the Great Lakes where there is an abundance of winter chilling.  With normal or cold winters, many apple varieties perform well in the hill country, but in mild winters, most commercial apple varieties have problems with bloom, fruit set and developing foliage. 

The third challenge facing apple growers is the development of typical red pigmentation on fruit.  The deep red fruit color that consumers expect does not typically occur on Texas grown fruit because they ripen during the heat of the summer.  High temperatures during ripening inhibit the expression of anthocyanins (red and yellow pigments).

There are, however, a number of advantages that apple growers enjoy in this part of the state.  Aside from fruit color, which is an entirely cosmetic quality, apples grown in Texas have extremely good fruit quality.  From a commercial standpoint, Texas apples ripen much earlier than do fruit from other domestic production regions.