The practice of germinating seeds extracted from commercially purchased fruit, such as those available at grocery stores, to cultivate new apple trees is a common point of inquiry. However, the resulting trees typically do not produce fruit identical to the parent apple from which the seeds were obtained. This is due to the genetic complexity of apple trees and their propagation methods.
Understanding the genetics of apple cultivation reveals the reason for this outcome. Most commercially grown apple varieties are hybrids, meaning they are the result of cross-pollination between two different apple varieties. The seeds within these apples contain a mix of genetic material from both parent trees, leading to unpredictable traits in the resulting offspring. This method contrasts with cloning, which maintains identical genetic material and ensures consistent fruit production. Historically, grafting has been the preferred method for propagating specific apple varieties to guarantee predictable fruit characteristics.
