Grafting Apples

Grafting is the process of creating a genetically identical apple tree. Carefully, trees are selected for the DNA, and then from that tree you take leaves and buds and place them inside the host tree. The taste of the genetically identical tree will taste like you are eating the very same apple. Grafting is a delicate process so it done because of the modernization of apples. Essentially grafting is cloning, of the parent tree. The parent tree is the source of the original genetic material.

In order to successfully graft an apple tree you have to cut down the desired tree, this process is referred to as scions. Usually grafting is the combination of two trees but there can be a combination of multiple. To get the best results for grafting is during the spring time when the under stocks of the trees begin to open; prime months are April and May. Believe it or not, there is an ideal age of the tree to graft; young fruit trees are best. Older trees often times need more work, due to their enlarged trunk.

Tree branches of the same species naturally graft without any outside interference. Naturally grafting is called inosculation; essentially the two trees fuse together to make one. The two fused trees are able to share nutrients, minerals and other necessities. Natural grafting saves giving a better advantage to the weaker trees, which would have been taken out by natural selection.

Works Cited

“An Easy Method for Grafting Apple Trees.” Mother Earth News. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

“Grafting & Budding Fruit Trees.” Grafting & Budding Fruit Trees. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov.  2014.

John Chapman

John Chapman was a nineteenth century horticulturist who had a great impact on the westward expansion in the United States. He helped many pioneers by supplying apple-tree nursery stock throughout the Middle West. Chapman paved the way for many frontiersmen to settle new land around his many orchards. Although children’s books portray him as a selfless man handing out apple seeds to random people, he had a business plan in store.

Chapman moved to Ohio from Massachusetts to bring seeds from several cider presses to plant along his journey. Most of his success has to do with the cider that was made from the apples he planted. During this time, American’s almost always had cider at the dinner table. Most homes needed an orchard to make sure they were able to have cider. Sometimes, Chapman would give struggling pioneers apple seeds to sustain their lifestyle.

In 1802 he carried bushels of apple seeds down the Ohio River. To transport the seeds, he traveled by canoe. On his trip he planted acres and acres of apples. During his lifetime, it is estimated that Chapman planted enough trees to cover an area over 100,000 square miles.

He introduced an invasive plant to the countryside during his travels. Chapman thought the dog fennel plant had anti-malarial qualities. So, he decided to plant it around several homesteads. There may have been medicinal qualities, but the plant generally took over the area it was planted in and is considered a weed.

Works Cited

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “John Chapman (American Nurseryman).” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

“Garden of Praise: John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) Biography.” Garden of Praise: John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

“Johnny Appleseed.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

“Who Was Johnny Appleseed?” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

The Heterozygous Apple

Although young children are constantly told how much they look like their mothers and fathers, it would be very strange if a child were born looking exactly like his/her mother or father. This is because humans are heterozygous, which essentially means that each combination of a mother’s eggs and a father’s sperm will produce a different variation of a human being. As a result, if some more advanced species wanted to artificially select humans to appear unilaterally the same as, say, the president, they would be unable. The only way to produce human masses in the president’s image would be to repeatedly clone the president. These same ideas can be applied to the reproductive strategies of the apple tree.

Apples are, in fact, considered extremely heterozygous, meaning that the variation within a single apple tree’s potential offspring is huge. Evolutionarily, this extreme heterozygous quality has been deeply advantageous for the apple tree. Because there unique definition of what it means to be an apple tree contained within every seed—or, five vastly different potential offspring per apple—it’s more likely that one or many of an apple tree’s offspring will be able to thrive in the specific environmental niche into which the tree’s seeds are distributed. This quality has allowed the apple tree to thrive in many distinct environments throughout the globe, including New Zealand, central Asia, and the east and west coasts of the United States.

From a human perspective (as opposed to an evolutionary one) the fact that apple’s are heterozygous is not quite as fantastic. Studies such as the one conducted by Brianna L. Gross and her colleagues have suggested that domestication of apples over the course of the past eight centuries has had little or no impact on extent of the apple tree’s heterozygous quality. Consequently, if a farmer happens upon an apple tree in the woods with delicious tasting apples and thinks he/she is going to make a fortune by using that tree’s many seeds to plant an orchard, they are unfortunately incorrect. The orchard that the farmer produces might not even contain a single good-tasting apple.

As explored in greater depth elsewhere on this blog, farmers and scientists have of course discovered a solution to this problem—if they hadn’t, people wouldn’t be able to go into a super-market and grab a golden delicious apple to have with their lunch. The technique that has been developed is called grafting. For more information on the subject, continue learning by exploring the rest of this blog!

Works Cited

Preserving Apple Biodiversity

Over the latter half of the 20th century, the proliferation of apple varieties selected for mass commercial selling has led to the disappearance or slide into irrelevance of hundreds (if not thousands) of “smaller,” local apple varieties around the world. Similar to how the extinction of animals is regarded as a negative occurrence, completely losing or just losing track of a certain variety of apple could mean losing a particular benefit that particular one uniquely provides.

After the disappearance of many aforementioned local apple varieties had been observed in apple orchards across northern Italy, research was conducted to catalog the overall “quality” of the disappearing apple varieties by using genetic, sensory, and nutritional techniques. It was observed that the defined benchmark of quality in the local varieties exceeded that in the largely commercial varieties. Although quality can be a somewhat subjective factor, this particular study scientifically made a solid case for the preservation of non-commercial apple varieties.

The study of biodiversity almost always leads to the point that a less diverse crowd of varieties is more likely to let diseases or pests overtake large portions of the overall crop, and apples are no different in this respect. The particular germplasm of a unique local variety might not be contained in the commercial varieties, therefore risking losing what could be a solution to an issue that wipes out a significant portion of a crop. Certain nutrients might also be exclusive to a local variety, and while that wouldn’t necessarily be detrimental to the system to lose, a given nutrient could still have great benefits.

By keeping the apple gene pool full and diverse, there will always be a sort of back room full of different genes and traits that can later be introduced into the commercial crop. In the end, it mainly stems back to keeping the commercial aspect of apples afloat, but that can’t be fully accomplished long-term without the preservation of apple biodiversity from the lesser-known local varieties to ones that are produced in great quantity for commercial consumption.

Works Cited

Re-Branding the Apple

Apples play such a large part in American society with many social and economic aspects. They are without a doubt the most “American” fruit with sayings such as “as American as apple pie” to attest to that. This has not always been the case though and has only recently been that way since prohibition. Pre-prohibition, apples were seen more as a way to make alcoholic beverages and not for what they could offer in respects to health. Once, alcohol was prohibited, but now, the apple began to change in regards to the perspective people had on it and how they taught their children about it. Children all over the United State are taught that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” It is from the point as young children that this concept of apples being able to “keep to doctor away” has been engrained in our minds. Apples are good for you (this is an undisputed and well known fact) and all of this came about because of prohibition and the attempt to “rebrand” the apple. Before the prohibition in the 1920s, the typical drink for the average working class American was hard apple cider, similar to how beer is today. 1840 presidential candidate William Harrison even compared himself to symbols such as “log cabins and hard cider” to show how he could relate to the working class in America. The drink was so widely used that asking for anything else at a bar would get you weird looks (Mysterious Demise). Apples were used as a snack food for people in cities because they were cheap and could be eaten on the go, but still the majority of apples went to the production of hard cider (Hard Question). The only thing that changed this was the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment, making all alcohol illegal. With a massive surplus of apples, the country did not know what to do with them. Many health organizations, beginning to recognize the health benefits, and farmers teamed up and begin the “apple a day keeps the doctor away” campaign (Botany of Desire). This simple phrase was born. The apple began to go to a “rebirth” and was the center for a health campaign, as opposed to a drinking one.

Works Cited

Economic Impact of Apples

Apples play a very large role in the economy in the United States. In the recent report by the United States International Trade Commission, the United States Federal came in over six million dollars in the positive in 2008 with apple sales; almost a fifty percent rise from past years (Lynch, 2010). Individuals growing apples along with the acreage and amount of apples produced have increased over the past few years. There is a higher number of apples to grower ration, making the comedy and even greater staple in economics. The article goes on to say that the apple industry alone has counted a fifth of all imports in the past. According to an article called “Commodity Apples,” in the year 2011, apples accounted for almost three billion dollars in the market and the following year rose to just over three billion dollars. The article also describes that every state in America grows one kind of an apple or another. This helps to stimulate the economy as apples are often be in high demand. Apples are also noted to be the second most consumed fruit in the United States according to Malinda Geisler in “Commodity Apple Profile.” The large consumption of apples is due to apples being used in a variety of ways; including apples themselves, apple juice, apple cider, applesauce, and many more (para. 5). According to the report, apples have become a large staple in the economy for other reasons than just food consumption. Apples create government jobs, thus stimulating the economy. From the Food and Drug Administration to legal concerns about environmental concerns (such as what chemicals are used to help them grow and the genetic diversity), apples again are found to be a major part of the world economy. Tariffs, taxes, permits, and other government required payments all over the world are another way apples play a major role in the global economy. The diagram on the following page shows the steps and how these steps are all different jobs, aiding in the stimulation of the economy. Apples play a major role in the economic world in the United States and continue to grow and evolve not just in size, but also economic value.

Works Cited