Everything about The Apple totally explained
The
apple is the
pomaceous fruit of the apple tree,
species Malus domestica in the
rose family
Rosaceae. It is one of the most widely
cultivated tree fruits. The tree is small and
deciduous, reaching 5–12 m tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown.
For many years, there was a debate about whether
M. domestica evolved from chance hybridization among various wild species. Recent DNA analysis by Barrie Juniper, Emeritus Fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences at
Oxford University and others, has indicated, however, that the hybridization theory is probably false. Instead, it appears that a single species still growing in the
Ili Valley, on the northern slopes of the
Tien Shan mountains at the border of northwest
China
Other
species that were previously thought to have made contributions to the
genome of the domestic apples are
Malus baccata and
Malus sylvestris, but there's no hard evidence for this in older apple
cultivars. These and other
Malus species have been used in some recent breeding programmes to develop apples suitable for growing in climates unsuitable for
M. domestica, mainly for increased cold tolerance.
History
The center of diversity of the genus Malus is the eastern
Turkey, southwestern
Russia region of
Asia Minor. The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated, In the 1900s, irrigation projects in Washington state began and allowed the development of the multi-billion dollar fruit industry, of which the apple is the leading species.
Cultural aspects
Germanic paganism
In
Norse mythology, the goddess
Iðunn is portrayed in the
Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by
Snorri Sturluson) as providing apples to the gods that give them
eternal youthfulness. English scholar
H. R. Ellis Davidson links apples to religious practices in
Germanic paganism, which
Norse paganism developed from. She points out that buckets of apples were found in the
Oseberg ship burial site in
Norway and that fruit and nuts (Iðunn having been described as being transformed into a nut in
Skáldskaparmál) have been found in the early graves of the
Germanic peoples in
England and elsewhere on the continent of Europe which may have had a symbolic meaning, and that nuts are still a recognized symbol of
fertility in Southwest England.
Davidson notes a connection between apples in the
Vanir, a tribe of gods associated with fertility in Norse mythology, citing an instance of eleven "golden apples" being given to woo the beautiful
Gerðr by
Skírnir in stanzas 19 and 20 of
Skírnismál who was acting as messenger for the major Vanir god
Freyr. Davidson also notes a further connection between fertility and apples in Norse mythology in the
Völsunga saga when the major goddess
Frigg sends
Volsung an apple as he sat upon a mound praying for a son.
Further, Davidson points out the "strange" phrase "apples of
Hel" used in an 11th century poem by the
skald Thorbiorn Brúnarson, she states this may imply that the apple was thought of by the skald as the food of the dead. Further, Davidson notes that the potentially Germanic goddess
Nehalennia is sometimes depicted with apples and that parallels exist in early Irish stories. Davidson asserts that while cultivation of the apple in
Northern Europe extends back to at least the time of the
Roman Empire and came to Europe from the
Near East, the native varieties of
apple trees growing in Northern Europe are small and bitter. Davidson concludes that in the figure of Iðunn "we must have a dim reflection of an old symbol: that of the guardian goddess of the life-giving fruit of the other world."
Greek mythology
Apples appear in many
religious traditions, often as a mystical or
forbidden fruit. One of the problems identifying apples in
religion,
mythology and
folktales is that the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all (foreign) fruit, other than berries but including nuts, as late as the 17th C. CE.;
The Greek goddess of discord,
Eris, became disgruntled after she was excluded from the wedding of
Peleus and
Thetis. In retaliation, she tossed a golden apple inscribed
Καλλιστή (
Kalliste, sometimes transliterated
Kallisti, 'For the most beautiful one'), into the wedding party. Three goddesses claimed the apple:
Hera,
Athena, and
Aphrodite.
Paris of
Troy was appointed to select the recipient. After being bribed by both Hera and Athena, Aphrodite tempted him with the most beautiful woman in the world,
Helen of
Sparta. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, thus indirectly causing the
Trojan War.
Atalanta, also of Greek mythology, raced all her suitors in an attempt to avoid marriage. She outran all but
Hippomenes (a.k.a.
Melanion, a name possibly derived from
melon the Greek word for both "apple" and fruit in general), As a result, in the story of Adam and Eve the apple became a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself. In
Latin, the words for "apple" and for "
evil" are similar in the singular (
malus—apple,
malum—evil) and identical in the plural (
mala). This may also have influenced the apple becoming interpreted as the
biblical "forbidden fruit". The
larynx in the human throat has been called
Adam's apple because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit sticking in the throat of Adam., the word being used in various commentaries on Genesis.
Apple cultivars
» See List of apple cultivars for a listing.
There are more than 7,500 known
cultivars of apples. Different cultivars are available for
temperate and
subtropical climates. Reputedly the world's biggest collection of apple
cultivars is housed at the
National Fruit Collection
in
England.
Commercially popular apple cultivars are soft but crisp. Other desired qualities in modern commercial apple breeding are a colourful skin, absence of
russeting, ease of shipping, lengthy storage ability, high yields, disease resistance, typical "
Red Delicious" apple shape, long stem (to allow
pesticides to penetrate the top of the fruit), and popular flavour. Modern apples are generally sweeter than older cultivars, as popular tastes in apples have varied over time. Most
North Americans and
Europeans favour sweet, subacid apples, but tart apples have a strong minority following. and especially India. but may have other problems which make them commercially unviable, such as low yield, liability to disease, or poor tolerance for storage or transport. A few old cultivars are still produced on a large scale, but many have been kept alive by home gardeners and farmers that sell directly to local markets. Many unusual and locally important cultivars with their own unique taste and appearance exist; apple conservation campaigns have sprung up around the world to preserve such local cultivars from extinction. In the
United Kingdom old cultivars such as Cox's Orange Pippin and Egremont Russett are still commercially important even though by modern standards they're low yielding and disease prone.
Breeders can produce more rigid apples through crossing. For example, the Excelsior Experiment Station of the
University of Minnesota has, since the 1930s, introduced a steady progression of important hardy apples that are widely grown, both commercially and by backyard orchardists, throughout
Minnesota and
Wisconsin. Its most important introductions have included '
Haralson' (which is the most widely cultivated apple in Minnesota), 'Wealthy', 'Honeygold', and '
Honeycrisp'.
Maturation and harvest
Cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock. Some cultivars, if left unpruned, will grow very large, which allows them to bear much more fruit, but makes harvesting very difficult. Mature trees typically bear 40–200 kg of apples each year, though productivity can be close to zero in poor years. Apples are harvested using
three-point ladders that are designed to fit amongst the branches. Dwarf trees will bear about 10–80 kg of fruit per year.
For home storage, most varieties of apple can be stored for approximately two weeks, when kept at the coolest part of the refrigerator (for example below 5°C). Some types of apple, including the
Granny Smith and
Fuji, have an even longer shelf life. A trend in orchard management is the use of organic methods. These use a less aggressive and direct methods of conventional farming. Instead of spraying potent chemicals, often shown to be potentially dangerous and maleficent to the tree in the long run, organic methods include encouraging or discouraging certain cycles and pests.
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/applepests
To control a specific pest, organic growers might encourage the prosperity of its natural predator instead of outright killing it, and with it the natural biochemistry around the tree. Organic apples generally have the same or greater taste than conventionally grown apples, with reduced cosmetic appearances. The flowers will turn a creamy yellow colour and won't develop correctly. This can be treated in a manner not dissimilar from treating
Botrytis; eliminating the conditions which caused the disease in the first place and burning the infected plants are among the recommended actions to take.
Apple scab: Symptoms of Scab are olive-green or brown blotches on the leaves
Among the most serious disease problems are fireblight, a bacterial disease; and Gymnosporangium rust, and black spot, two fungal diseases.
In the United States, more than 60% of all the apples sold commercially are grown in Washington state. Imported apples from New Zealand and other more temperate areas are competing with US production and increasing each year.
Most of Australia's apple production is for domestic consumption. Imports from New Zealand have been disallowed under quarantine regulations for fire blight since 1921.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Apple'.
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