FRUIT FROM FLAGPOLES? 

GROWING FRUIT FROM TREES HAS SOME PROBLEMS: LIKE THE AMOUNT OF SPACE NECESSARY FOR HUMAN MOVEMENT BETWEEN WIDE-SPREADING LIMBS, THE DIFFICULTY OF REACHING FRUIT ON HIGHER BRANCHES AND THE FACT THAT ALL FRUIT DOESN'T RIPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY.

A DEVELOPMENT NOW UNDERWAY IN BRITAIN ON AN APPLE TREE NATIVE TO BRITISH COLUMBIA MAY SOLVE SOME OF THOSE PROBLEMS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO PRODUCE HANDLERS AND CONSUMERS? QUITE LIKELY LOWER PRICES DUE TO MORE EFFICENT HARVESTING TECHNIQUES, BETTER FRUIT AND A DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT LOOK TO APPLE ORCHARDS OF THE FUTURE.

THE EAST MALLING RESEARCH STATION, A BRANCH OF BRITAIN'S INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTURAL RESEARCH, IS ATTEMPTING TO GROW APPLE TREES TO RESEMBLE FLAG POLES. THE ADVANTAGE? TREES GROW CLOSER TOGETHER -- LESS THAN A YARD (METRE) BETWEEN TREES AND BETWEEN ROWS -- ALLOWING FOR GREATER USE OF ROBOTIC PICKERS, WHICH RESULTS IN CONSIDERABLE SAVINGS AT HARVEST TIME. THE FLAGPOLE TREE ALSO PERMITS MORE TREES PER ORCHARD, PRODUCING HIGHER RETURNS PER ACREAGE.

THE SPECIES SELECTED FOR THESE EXPERIMENTS IS THE WIJCIK, A SPORT OF MCINTOSH FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA THAT GROWS LIKE A STURDY NATURAL CORDON. THIS SPECIES GROWS LIMBS MORE LIKE SPURS THAN NORMAL BRANCHES, SO THE FLOWERS AND FRUIT ARE BORNE UP THE SINGLE MAIN STEM. THE EAST MALLING RESEARCH STATION FOUND THAT WHEN CROSSED WITH VARIETIES OF NORMAL APPLE TREES, HALF THE RESULTING SEEDLINGS WERE MORE COMPACT AND COLUMNAR -- A RESULT OF THE DOMINANT GENE IN THE WIJCIK SPECIES. OTHER FEATURES CROSSED INTO THE WIJCIK HAVE IMPROVED FRUIT AND TREE QUALITIES FOR VARIOUS HORTICULTURAL USES -- SUCH AS EASY TO-MANAGE TREES FOR AMATEUR GROWERS, AND AN ABILITY TO FLOWER AT THE SAME TIME AS MORE CONVENTIONAL ORCHARDS, THUS SERVING AS SPACE-SAVING POLLINATORS.

MUNICIPALITIES MIGHT SOMEDAY BE PLANTING THESE TREES AS ORNAMENTAL HIGHWAY DIVIDERS, THEIR RED OR DOUBLE FLOWERS AND BRIGHTLY-COLORED FRUIT WITH PURPLE OR CUT- LEAVED FOLIAGE BEING HIGHLY DECORATIVE FEATURES TO BRIGHTEN UP ROADWAYS.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE NEW SEEDLINGS IS PROBABLY TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR. TEST STANDS HAVE BEEN UNDERWAY AT SEVERAL ASSESSMENT CENTRES IN BRITAIN SINCE 1986.

BUT KIDS WILL HAVE MORE TROUBLE CLIMBING UP THESE TREES THAN THE APPLE TREES WE KNEW WHEN WE WERE YOUNG. BIOTECHNOLOGY, LIKE HARD TECHNOLOGY, CAUSES UNPREDICTABLE SOCIAL CHANGE WHEN SUCH DEVELOPMENTS FIRST TAKE PLACE.

YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO A RAPID SURGE IN NEW FOODS AND NEW METHODS OF FOOD PRODUCTION DURING THE NEXT FEW YEARS AS BENEFITS OF ORGANIC GENE MANIPULATION OCCUR IN THE NEW "SOFT HIGH BIOTECH" LABORATORIES AROUND THE WORLD. FUTURE FOOD SHOPPING AND FOOD TASTING WILL BECOME MORE INTERESTING. TASTE BUDS ARE THE TARGET OF FOOD PRODUCERS IN A WAY NEVER POSSIBLE IN THE PAST. LEARN TO EXPECT GASTRONOMICAL MIRACLES.

MORE INFORMATION: NATIONAL SEED DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION LTD., NEWTON HALL, NEWTON, CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND OR

B.F. SELF, LIAISON DEPARTMENT, EAST MALLING RESEARCH CENTRE, EAST MALLING, MAIDSTONE, KENT ME19 6BJ, ENGLAND.

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