Apple scab is a fungus disease caused by Venturia inaequalis. It is of major economic importance and, if not controlled, the disease can cause extensive losses (70% or greater) where humid, cool weather occurs during the spring months. Losses result directly from fruit or pedicel infections or indirectly from repeated defoliation, which can reduce tree growth and yield. For more information, read this article on Apple Scab.
Answer provided by Alan R. Biggs, West Virginia University.…
You can plant seeds from your apple, but the resulting fruit from that seedling will not be exactly like the apple parent. Most apple seeds are formed when pollen from one apple cultivar pollinates the flower of another cultivar. This results in the combination of two different genetic parents and results in an offspring (seed) that has a different genetic code. The resulting seed and potential tree will have characteristics of both the pollen parent and the flowering parent. Therefore, …
Apples do not come true from seed, so when we plant apple seeds, the plants that result are not the cultivar that we obtained the seeds from. If we take six seeds from an apple and plant them, the resulting trees will produce fruit that is different from fruit on the parent tree, and the seedlings will be different from each other. To maintain a cultivar, we have to propagate the tree vegetatively. Since apple cuttings are difficult to root, …
Budding is often used because a single scion bud is inserted into the rootstock to produce a new tree. Also, with budding, many trees can be produced from a stick of bud wood that has different sized buds.
In contrast, a piece of scion wood with two buds is used in grafting, and the diameter of the rootstock and the scion piece must match precisely to form a union. Thus, fewer trees can be propagated by grafting as compared to …
Heavy soils are those that contain more clay particles relative to sand and silt components. The high clay content causes the soils to be less friable, making them “sticky,” and more dense, thus making them hard to work with. They often remain cold and wet in spring and need grit or coarse organic material to admit air and help roots remain healthy. Because of their tendency to be cold and wet for longer periods than lighter soils, there is an …
Consider the relative susceptibilities of the scion and rootstock to fire blight when establishing new orchards. There is considerable variation among apple cultivars (and pear cultivars) in susceptibility to fire blight, although none are immune. Some cultivar/rootstock combinations are so susceptible to fire blight that investments in these combinations are extremely high risk. In the eastern United States, ‘Gala’ on M.26 is an example of a high-risk combination. For more information, read this article on Fire Blight of Apple.…
Apple seeds that are planted do not produce a replica of the type of fruit that was planted; therefore, trees must be propagated by vegetative means such as budding or grafting. Typically, they are grafted onto a rootstock, which is just another apple selected for certain characteristics, such as dwarfing and/or disease resistance. (But not eating quality!) The rootstock provides many benefits to the finished tree. The most important one is ultimate tree size control.
In apples, tree size has …
Here are some factors to consider in selecting an apple tree for a backyard setting:
► How much space is available with full sunlight and well-drained soil.
Apple trees require full sunlight for optimal blossom initiation and development the summer prior to the actual crop as well as for optimal fruit quality during the fruit’s growing season. Shading from a home and adjacent trees and buildings will result in poor tree growth, fruit yield, fruit quality and possibly greater insect …
Bitter rot is a fungus disease that causes fruit rot during the summer and preharvest period. The bitter rot fungi are almost worldwide in distribution and cause an especially economically important disease in the southern areas of the United States. Outbreaks can occur rapidly, and losses can be severe, especially under prolonged warm, wet weather. Several host species can be affected. On peach and nectarine, the same fungus causes a disease known as anthracnose, and on grape, it causes ripe …
Blue mold is a fungus disease caused by Penicillium expansum. It is the most important postharvest decay of stored apples in the United States. The losses from this disease can be significant but can be substantially reduced by following proper sanitation and control measures. The fungus not only causes fruit decay but also produces the carcinogenic mycotoxin patulin. This toxin may rise to unacceptable levels in fruit destined for processing and may also result in off flavors. For more …
