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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] pears set fruit without pollen

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  • From: Thomas Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] pears set fruit without pollen
  • Date: Thu, 27 May 2004 13:25:49 -0400

Hello,

It is my experience that a misshapen apple usually has unfertilized seeds in the area of the depression.  Apples of the proper shape have all of their seeds pollinated..  If a pome fruit was seedless, wouldn't it be misshapen all over, and not a full sized fruit?

It would seem to be a function of nature not to put a lot of plant resources into a fruit, or portion of a fruit, where the seeds are not pollinated (let the runts die off).  I have no explanation for seedless oranges, other than if it wasn't for man, they would have died out too.

My guess would be that a fertilized seed gives off hormones in the growing fruit, that stimulates fruit flesh development around it.  An unfertilized seed  would not inspire fruit flesh growth and the fruit would be misshapen (or abort).

Later,
Tom

Mark Lee wrote:
Parthenocarpic means the ability to set fruit without pollination.
Conference is a pear variety that has this ability. The parthenocarpic
fruits are seedless and are smaller than fruit of the same variety that
is successfully fertilized, at least for pears. I have Conference and
Flemish Beauty pears in my backyard, but only Conference set fruit this
year. I think the fruit that did set are not the result of pollination.
I will know for sure in the fall when I cut into them and look at the
seeds.

I had a thought this morning that one could make seedless pears on
purpose, just like seedless oranges. After thinking about this I
realized that although the pears would be seedless, they still would
have the papery pieces in the core that normally surround the seeds
(endocarp). I don't see anything desirable about seedless pears other
than ! the ability to have a pear harvest even when spring conditions
prevent pollination from occurring. That often comes in handy here in
the wet Pacific Northwest.

-Mark Lee, Seattle

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