Marty

One, the apple is certainly more than the sum of its genes, and is arguably more than the sum of its cultivars. In the analogy of genes as building blocks in the architecture of the [domesticated] apple, (a product of purposeful and environmental selection over centuries resulting in a broad spectrum of varieties filling numerous specific, and often overlapping niches in farmstead and household usage), then conserving “old” apple cultivars ex situ accomplishes little more than “saving” ‘building blocks’ for future use. And to this ends, the wild apple forests of the Tien Shan (also faced with perils of habitat loss and fragmentation associated with urban expansion around Almaty, Kazakhstan) hold much greater diversity than abandoned farmstead orchards. In short, the historical and social context is as much a part of the apple as the genes themselves.

Second, the evolution of the apple does need to continue, especially in a changing climate. However, the tragedy of losing thousands of named progeny of the ‘Johnny Appleseed” era of seedling orchards is due in part to the historical context in which these trees originated but also because the extraordinary circumstances under which this diversity proliferated is unlikely to be recreated in the foreseeable future. Literally millions of seedling trees planted in orchards throughout America were winnowed down to select individuals with desirable characteristics worthy of naming and propagating. Our narrow perception of the apple as a desert fruit may also limit re-diversification.

I guess for me, the old cultivars hold historical significance but also have meaning beyond seedling trees because they were found to be valuable in the past. Rediscovering cultivars in abandoned orchards, experiencing their unique flavors, and speculating on their past utility contribute to the allure to these fruits…

The value of the old varieties lies in the combination of genes that defines the varieties, and in the link with history and culture that others have cited.

Amen to that, and a major theme in Andean potatoes (and other crops) as well. For that reason they are vegetatively propagated in genebanks — at much more cost and effort then storing the ‘genes’ as seed; which would be sufficient for the “long term conservation of genetic diversity for breeding perspective”).

But what about (also) making new history? In the small US town where I live people pride themselves for the various fruit trees in their yards. I think many could be persuaded to take chances and plant something new. And it should not be hard to get “community farms” on board too.

And not just with old varieties, but also from seed from from old and introduced (Kazachstani!) apple stock. Innovation does not preclude conservation, but I get more excited about new Johnny Appleseeds then about more curation. The sheer number of apple varieties that were produced in perhaps 200 years speaks for the tremendous opportunities to develop more. Or not? It did -perhaps- not take that long to develop thousands of varieties, but in those days almost everybody with a plot of land (and the right climate) would have planted some apple trees — not to mention the cider producers. A pretty big plant breeding project.

If a variety still exists and yet we don’t know where it is or what it is, frankly its utility is limited and its future as a distinct variety is very very dark. I would like to think we could find and identify more of these varieties, but I don’t think there are many herbarium samples of the old varieties, and I see no effort to search these and compare them to existing unidentified varieties. (Such an effort would be complicated, expensive and labor intensive – where’s the interest in undertaking such a thing?)

Time is running out. Varieties grown in the 19th century (the data source cited above) and early 20th century wouldn’t typically have lasted this long without skilled human intervention. How often do people graft and conserve unidentified varieties to keep them going? Not often. So, the situation is dire, no matter how you look at it.

The value of the old varieties lies not just in the genes (this might only be minimal, who knows?), but in the combination of genes that defines the varieties, and in the link with history and culture that others have cited. The story is a tragedy. On the positive side, finding and rescuing the old varieties gives hope. We should be celebrating efforts to conserve this cultural and crop diversity, much of it undertaken by amateurs, those who truly love the fruit.