Apple Pollination - continued
Hidden away in Crane & Lawrence's book "The Genetics of Garden Plants" are some interesting figures which disagree with some of the myths which have grown up around apple pollination and which have been copied from one book to another.
Here are the numbers of mature fruit which resulted from treating different apple flowers with various pollens. The blossom is listed first; pollen second. T denotes triploid.
| Blenheim,T | 35 flowers | 3 fruit (Ribston, T) |
| Blenheim ,T | 72 flowers | 1 fruit (Crimson Bramley,T) |
| Crimson Bramley,T | 51 flowers | 1 fruit (Blenheim Orange,T) |
CONCLUSION - Very limited data, but it appears that some triploids may pollinate other triploids quite well.
| Cox's Orange | 124 flowers | 9 fruit (Ribston,T) |
| Lane's Prince Albert | 57 flowers | 4 fruit (Crimson Bramley,T) |
| Cox's Orange | 160 flowers | 12 fruit (Blenheim Orange,T) |
| Lane's Prince Albert | 38 flowers | 2 fruit (Blenheim Orange,T) |
| Lane's Prince Albert | 109 flowers | 4 fruit (Blenheim Orange,T) |
| Peasgood Nonesuch | 42 flowers | 2 fruit (Blenheim Orange,T) |
CONCLUSION
Again, limited data, but it seems that triploids can be adequate to good pollinators of certain varieties.
Crane & Lawrence planted the viable seeds. Lack of vigour and feeble growth were observed, especially where both parents were triploids. They concluded that although many triploid varieties are of outstanding merit, the breeder must beware of using them as parents.
