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Actually, apple varieties are preserved via grafting. If you take an apple seed, the tree that will grow from it only has 50% of the DNA of the tree that made the apple. So there is absolutely no guarantee that the taste was preserved across generations.
Damn it! That was my bit of esoteric plant kkowlwdge
Lol me too. 30 minutes late I guess.
Likewise, fellow apple nerds.
Actually, even if you bred an apple tree with itself, due to the genetic recombination of recessive genes, the same thing happens. So it’s more complicated than 50% of the genes missing.
TIL :)
Human: I love this apple, I will plant its seeds so I can grow more myself.
Apple tree: Crabapples crabappley
I thought that was what made the meme funny…
Apple grafting is incredibly easy and cheap. All you need is a bit of knowledge, a utility knife, cheap flagging tape and ordinary waterproof wood glue. Planning to procure scions and watching for the bark slip is necessary - usually right around when buds start to break. My first graft was successful. Now I graft all the time. Peaches were a problem for me until I learned that they must be grafted after blossoms drop - usually later than ideal apple grafting time.
Apples do not grow true from seed, you get a new variety unless you clone.
Just like humans.
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Japanese Maples are the same way. All named varieties are grafted clones.
It blows my mind how many apple varieties (“cultivars”) exist.
Spoiler: over 7,000!
No, it’s just over 7000.
Yeah, the other number wasn’t even close. I don’t think you’d even be able to fit that many
on earthin thesolar systemgalaxy.Sorry, I’m confused by these comments. I typed “7,000”. In the US, that translates as “seven thousand”. What is wrong with that?
It’s a joke. 7000! mathematically is 7000 factorial. Which means 7000 x 6999 x 6998…
You can see why orchard space might be a problem.
Oh… 7000! thanks.
I got one!, there are only 3 trees in existence (only 1 mature enough to fruit and 2 cuttings) rn and the apples taste kinda like pears but with an apple texture.
Guy from the maths problem
I can only imagine how many useful genes that saves.From my hometown!
Somehow relevant xkcd:
