Why It’s HARD To Bring A New Apple To Market

What is the main reason farmers use grafting to grow apple trees?

• To make the trees grow faster.

• To combine different types of fruit on one tree.

• To create exact copies of a tree with desired traits.

• To protect the trees from harsh weather conditions.

Why is it risky to rely on only one variety of apple, like the McIntosh?

• The apples might become too expensive.

• All trees of that variety could be easily wiped out by the same disease or pest.

• The apples might lose their flavor over time.

• It makes harvesting more difficult for farmers.

Why does it take much longer to develop a new variety of fruit tree compared to a new variety of grain?

• Fruit trees require more water and sunlight.

• Fruit trees have more complex genetic makeup and take many years to grow from seed to fruit.

• Grain plants are easier to cross-pollinate.

• There are fewer scientists working on fruit tree breeding.

What is true about many of the popular fruit varieties we eat today, such as the Granny Smith apple or the Bartlett pear?

• They were developed using modern genetic engineering techniques.

• They are relatively new varieties, created in the last 50 years.

• They are often very old varieties that have been around for a long time.

• They are all naturally occurring wild varieties.