Apples 102: How to Phenotypically Describe an Apple

Date & Time: Friday, November 19, 3:30-4:45 PM

Speaker: John Bunker

Acute or acuminate? abrupt or obtuse? furrowed or funnel-shaped? What does all this stuff mean? If we are going to get to know the fruit we eat, grow, grind and press, we ought to know the “phenotypic” parts.  If we are going to sort out the apple mysteries in our lives, we better know how to describe an apple. Modern DNA SNP technology has revolutionized apple identification. But DNA profiles are only as good as the phenotypic descriptions and identifications that are essential to creating the reference panel to which our apples are compared.  In this session we will do a deep dive into the details of creating an accurate description of an apple. Knowing a base from a basin and axile from abaxile will open the door to the amazing world of describing the apples in your life as well as to understanding what you’re reading in Beach, Bussey or Downing.  All attendees will be provided with apples, knives and the occasional band-aid.