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  • From: Fluffy Bunny <the.fluffy.bunny@juno.com>
  • To: nafex@egroups.com
  • Subject: [nafex] ??? - Ed's comments (apple post)
  • Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 22:21:39 -0500

Ed wrote:

Yes, there have been several studies which imply validity of the
above.
Unfortunately, until very recently, many seedlings which germinated late
were
discarded as being weak growers, non vigorous, etc.
If folks down south wanted low-chill and high quality, you might
think
about crossing Sundowner x GoldRush.
Just a thought.

My reply:

Hmmmm...

Okay so here is the thought.

In previous posts you have stated with a certain level of affirmation
that apples are very "inbred", so inbred that in general, all the talk of
germ plasm preservation is relatively futile in regard to the "apple".

After conducting a minor analysis I would agree with your supposition.
That being said I am now trying to imagine the reason you would have for
choosing superior parents in the first place. Based on the genetic
combination possible for the apple(I can't remember the number of
combinations but it was significantly greater than that of a pear)I have
having a hard time imagining that the odds come out better than random
chance of the combinations in the first place.

Another way to say this is outside of the "crab" disease resistance
characteristics that all the modern disease resistant varieties seem to
have in their lineage, I am having difficulty imagining that selecting
the parents would produce an outcome greater than just allowing recessive
and latent genetic patterns come forth naturally. In other words it
seems that the chances of a success are something in the magnitude if 1
in 7500 or so(my computer was wiped out over the weekend so I lost my
actual data), which approximates that of chance.

So, I have to ask Ed(or anyone else), do you actually think their is any
merit in actually selecting the parents for apples in breeding programs;
or is it another case of giving the participants the "warm and fuzzies"?

As always wishing you all the best,

the ever curious fluffy bunny




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