Fruit Varieties and Horticultural Digest (J Fruit Var & Hort Digest)
Volume 15 Number 4 Article 14 Pages: 70-70
Year 1961 Month 6
Title: Origin of New York E-6 Apple
Author: R.A. Nitchke Citation
Abstract:
In my article entitled "Apple Varieties
of Outstanding Flavor", in the
September 1960 issue of Fruit Varieties
and Horticultural Digest, the
variety New York E-6 is mentioned.
This is one of the three varieties
chosen for late winter.
It is a fruit
selection which has been described
by Leo Klein, who is in charge of
the apple breeding program at the
New York State Agricultural Experiment
Station.
It seems to me of interest
to add that New York E-6 was originally
selected even before it had
fruited-in fact, when the seedling
was only a few weeks old-because of
its triploid genetic make-up.
This was
done by Dr.
John Einset, of the same
Station, in connection with a cytological
study he was making of the prQgeny
of diploid parents.
This fascinating example
of modern genetics can best be
described in Mr.
Klein's own words,
which are as follows:
"Dr.
Einset was trying to determine
the incidence of triploids resulting
from diploid parents and, as I recall,
he discovered three or four triploids
in the'Red Spy × Golden Delicious
progeny.
Of these three or four, two
have been selected as having sufficient merit to warrant further testing.
These
are E-6 and E-36, the latter an early
Spy type, maturing about with McIntosh.
Triploids developed in this
way are more likely to be worthwhile
seedlings than their diploid sibs for
the simple reason that the complete
chromosomal complement of the female
parent (Red Spy) is transmitted
intact, without any resegregation,
whereas triploids developed from the
tetraploid-diploid crosses are much
more variable because resegregation
has occurred."—R. A. Nitchke, Birmingham,
Michigan.
