dantheman50_98 wrote:
Hello All,
Does anybody know what percentage of apple seeds if
germinated, would stay true to their parent plant's variety?

zero percent

I suppose it must vary from variety to variety. Would all of the seeds
become new types of apple in some cases?

In all cases. Apples are clones. This means that all apples of a given
variety, for example Honey Crisp, come from the same original seed, one
seed. Every apple seed has this potential to become it's own distinct
variety. So, if you start from seed every seed will have this
potential.

It takes about 50 years for a proper grow out, evaluation, and
propagation to develop a new variety. Thousands of seedlings must be
grown out in order to find and develop the one special seedling that
will become a new variety. Almost all apple breeding is done at
universities where they have the land and the patience for apple
breeding.

If you want a named variety it must be purchased as a small tree. This
clone will be descended from one original seed or tree which was
determined in the grow out to have what it takes to be a new variety.
Then that seedling has to be propogated and reproduced. So, all Honey
Crisp apples all come from one original mother tree and have been
cloned and re-cloned and grafted onto a different root stock. All
commercial apple varieties are grafted as are most fruit trees. You
would not grow Honey Crisp or any other named variety on it's own
roots. You graft them onto the roots of another type of apple, like a
crab apple, which has better frost and disease resistance.

On a hobby level, you can certainly plant your seed as an experiment.
You will get an apple tree, for sure. What you will not get is a named
variety, not ever. There is no way of knowing exactly what you will
get. So if you just want to have a little fun, then go ahead. But, if
you want a named variety you have to buy a tree. You cannot plant a
seed to get a named apple variety unless you plan to grow out thousands
and can wait 50 years.

Lawrence