North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Douglas Hinds <cedecor@gmx.net>]

On 11/13/2012 4:58 PM, david liezen wrote:
> Some day someone may ask me to try rooting a twig from one of the trees in my 
> yard to produce a standard: rooting compound and proper conditions ought to 
> yield a happy result.
That would avoid the inherent conflict (and parasitic relationship) 
grafting imposes and pomegranates, grapes and guavas are commonly rooted 
from cuttings (as are pitayas and cactus fruit), all of which I do 
consume. However:  The results of a subjective comparison of identical 
fruit from seedling Concord grapes and ones grown side by side from 
cuttings WERE distinguishable, with the seedling grape having an 
noticeably more enhanced and focused flavor, although the appearance of 
the two were identical and generalized taste characteristics were not 
dissimilar.
> 4) Any differences of nutrient uptake due to choices in root stock seem 
> likely to have less significance than soil available, climate and type of 
> husbandry applied: organic, fertilized, sprayed, thinned crops and the like.

True, but if the scion had roots, the composition of what it would 
extract from the soil (with a given available nutrient supply) would be 
far more exact and appropriate for it's own particular individual 
metabolic processes and needs.