A DNA marker-based study was undertaken to identify the occurrence of major scab resistance genes in some apple cultivars and selections of importance for apple breeding. Unfortunately none of the RAPD-based markers previously reported to detect the V_a, V_b, V_r and V_x genes produced unambiguous results. By contrast, the CAPS marker MI8 produced the expected three bands in all cultivars and selections already known or suspected to have the V_f gene, as well as in the Russian cultivar 'Antonovka Polotora Funtovaja' suspected to have V_a resistance which however may be allelic to V_f. V_f-carrying selections and newly named cultivars 'Frida' and 'Fredrik' are grown successfully in Sweden without fungicides, suggesting that the V_r resistance breaking scab races 6 and 7 have not yet become a problem. The SCAR marker B12 detected the V_m gene in 'Prairifire', 'Rouville', clones 'OR45T132' and 'OR48T70', and selection '16-36-193'. The SSR locus 0102b10 detected one band at 118 by in 'Reka'. This is presumed to be identical to the V_r gene marker previously reported.