In order to get my cherry trees to have cherries, I had to plant two
dissimilar varieties. This is what I don't get. Variety A needs a
var B to pollinate it. Var A produces cherries. I plant the seed.
Presumably this seed has DNA from both A & B. When this seedling
matures it will require a pollinator in order to make cherries. How
would I know if it needed an A or a B type?
In species where varieties are self infertile, how is it that the
varieties can stay in any way distinct?
I'm 43 and I've wondered about this for most of my life, so thanks in
advance for your replies.

--Bryan

In article , Bobo
Bonobo? writes
In order to get my cherry trees to have cherries, I had to plant two
dissimilar varieties. This is what I don't get. Variety A needs a
var B to pollinate it. Var A produces cherries. I plant the seed.
Presumably this seed has DNA from both A & B. When this seedling
matures it will require a pollinator in order to make cherries. How
would I know if it needed an A or a B type?

I can't speak for cherries, but I suspect that in general you wouldn't
know. Depending on the mechanism of self-incompatibility, the seedling
could be compatible with both A and B, one of A and B, or neither A and
B - and another seedling from the same cross may be different.

The web has over 500 pages which contain the terms "Prunus" and "self-
incompatibility"; a significant proportion are on self-incompatibility
in Prunus. URL:http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-
8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=Prunus+self-incompatibility. Hopefully one of these
pages will explain how it works in Prunus.

In species where varieties are self infertile, how is it that the
varieties can stay in any way distinct?

They are propagated vegetatively.

I'm 43 and I've wondered about this for most of my life, so thanks in
advance for your replies.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

In article , Bobo
Bonobo? writes
In order to get my cherry trees to have cherries, I had to plant two
dissimilar varieties. This is what I don't get. Variety A needs a
var B to pollinate it. Var A produces cherries. I plant the seed.
Presumably this seed has DNA from both A & B. When this seedling
matures it will require a pollinator in order to make cherries. How
would I know if it needed an A or a B type?

I can't speak for cherries, but I suspect that in general you wouldn't
know. Depending on the mechanism of self-incompatibility, the seedling
could be compatible with both A and B, one of A and B, or neither A and
B - and another seedling from the same cross may be different.

The web has over 500 pages which contain the terms "Prunus" and "self-
incompatibility"; a significant proportion are on self-incompatibility
in Prunus. URL:http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-
8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=Prunus+self-incompatibility. Hopefully one of these
pages will explain how it works in Prunus.

In species where varieties are self infertile, how is it that the
varieties can stay in any way distinct?

They are propagated vegetatively.

I'm 43 and I've wondered about this for most of my life, so thanks in
advance for your replies.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

I am not a professional botanist, but I'll give this a stab. Maybe some one
else has a more detailed answer.
There are many different inherited mechanisms in plants to prevent
self-pollination. I don't know the precise ones in cherries.

Presumably this seed has DNA from both A & B.
The question is which self-incompatibility gene it inherited, if any.

When this seedling matures it will require a pollinator in order to make
cherries.
The word you want is pollenizer. The pollinator is the bee.
You don't know offhand which pollenizer the offspring will require. A
professional pomologist might. At any rate, as I told the fellow looking for
apple seedlings, it is not practical for the amateur to try growing fruit trees
from seed, as they take many years to produce fruit, and very rarely produce a
superior variety.

In species where varieties are self infertile, how is it that the varieties
can stay in any way distinct?
They are only propagated vegetatively, by cuttings, grafting, or meristemming.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

I am not a professional botanist, but I'll give this a stab. Maybe some one
else has a more detailed answer.
There are many different inherited mechanisms in plants to prevent
self-pollination. I don't know the precise ones in cherries.

Presumably this seed has DNA from both A & B.
The question is which self-incompatibility gene it inherited, if any.

When this seedling matures it will require a pollinator in order to make
cherries.
The word you want is pollenizer. The pollinator is the bee.
You don't know offhand which pollenizer the offspring will require. A
professional pomologist might. At any rate, as I told the fellow looking for
apple seedlings, it is not practical for the amateur to try growing fruit trees
from seed, as they take many years to produce fruit, and very rarely produce a
superior variety.

In species where varieties are self infertile, how is it that the varieties
can stay in any way distinct?
They are only propagated vegetatively, by cuttings, grafting, or meristemming.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

I am not a professional botanist, but I'll give this a stab. Maybe some one
else has a more detailed answer.
There are many different inherited mechanisms in plants to prevent
self-pollination. I don't know the precise ones in cherries.

Presumably this seed has DNA from both A & B.
The question is which self-incompatibility gene it inherited, if any.

When this seedling matures it will require a pollinator in order to make
cherries.
The word you want is pollenizer. The pollinator is the bee.
You don't know offhand which pollenizer the offspring will require. A
professional pomologist might. At any rate, as I told the fellow looking for
apple seedlings, it is not practical for the amateur to try growing fruit trees
from seed, as they take many years to produce fruit, and very rarely produce a
superior variety.

In species where varieties are self infertile, how is it that the varieties
can stay in any way distinct?
They are only propagated vegetatively, by cuttings, grafting, or meristemming.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Stewart Robert Hinsley schreef
The web has over 500 pages which contain the terms "Prunus" and "self-
incompatibility"; a significant proportion are on self-incompatibility
in Prunus. URL:http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-
8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=Prunus+self-incompatibility. Hopefully one of these
pages will explain how it works in Prunus.

+ + +
"self-incompatibility" and "cherries" yields this cheerful-looking site:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/f...on_Information
/Pollination%20information.html

PvR

Stewart Robert Hinsley schreef
The web has over 500 pages which contain the terms "Prunus" and "self-
incompatibility"; a significant proportion are on self-incompatibility
in Prunus. URL:http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-
8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=Prunus+self-incompatibility. Hopefully one of these
pages will explain how it works in Prunus.

+ + +
"self-incompatibility" and "cherries" yields this cheerful-looking site:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/f...on_Information
/Pollination%20information.html

PvR