Figure 1. Bumblebee on apple blossom (Alan R. Biggs, West Virginia University)
Apples require cross-pollination for optimal fruit set and size. Cross-pollination involves the transfer of pollen from one apple cultivar to another by pollinating insects, such as bees which are referred to as pollinators. The cultivar supplying the pollen is called the pollinizer. For successful pollination to occur, bloom periods must overlap. Triploids apple cultivars, such as ‘Mutsu’, ‘Jonagold’, and ‘Shizuka’, cannot supply viable pollen and are unsuitable as …