The government on Friday approved the commercial planting of genetically engineered apples that are resistant to turning brown when sliced or bruised.

The developer, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, says it believes the nonbrowning feature will be popular with both consumers and food service companies because it will make sliced apples more appealing. The feature could also reduce the number of apples discarded because of bruising.

But many executives in the apple industry say they worry that the biotech apples, while safe to eat, will face opposition from some consumers, possibly tainting the wholesome image of the fruit that reputedly "keeps the doctor away."

"In the marketplace we participate in, there doesn’t seem to be room for genetically modified apples now," said John Rice, co-owner of Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, Pennsylvania, which bills itself as the largest apple packer in the East.

The Department of Agriculture, which approved the apples for commercial planting, said on Friday that it had considered these issues. However, it said that under the law, approval is based on whether a genetically modified crop poses a threat to other plants. The department determined that the apples posed no such risk.

The so-called Arctic apples — which will be available in the Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties — are genetically engineered in a way to suppress the production of an enzyme that causes browning when cells in the apple are injured, from slicing, for example.

The apple will join relatively few other examples of genetically modified fresh produce, including papaya and some sweet corn.

Neal Carter, the president of Okanagan, said the apple had "a lot of silent supporters" and would be popular with the food service business. "I can’t believe how many requests we’ve had just this morning to our website from people who want to buy trees," he said.

It will take a few years for Arctic apples to be widely available because trees have to first be planted and then become mature enough to bear fruit.

Consumer and environmental groups, who say that genetically modified crops in general are not thoroughly tested for safety, were highly critical of the decision Friday.

"This GMO apple is simply unnecessary," Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement, using the initials for genetically modified organism. "Apple browning is a small cosmetic issue that consumers and the industry have dealt with successfully for generations."