Why are there so many types of apples? - Theresa Doud

翻译人员: Tianyu Qiao 校对人员: Gabriella Hu

Have you ever walked into a grocery store

在你走进超市的时候

and wondered where all those variety of apples came from?

有没有想过那么多种类的苹果都是从哪来的呢？

You might find SnapDragon,

你也许能看到龙果

Pixie Crunch,

皮克西果

Cosmic Crisp,

笑脆果

Jazz,

爵士苹果

or Ambrosia

或者安波西亚苹果

next to the more familiar Red Delicious and Granny Smith.

旁边还有我们更熟悉的红美味和澳洲青苹

These delightfully descriptive names

这些有着讨人欢喜名字的苹果品种

belong to just a handful of the over 7,500 apple varieties in the world.

只是世界上7500种苹果中的一小部分

This huge diversity exists largely because of humanity's efforts to bear new fruit.

这种庞大的多样性归功于人类发明新果种的努力

Fruit breeding is a way to fulfill the expectations of farmers and consumers

苹果育种的方式可以满足农民和消费者

who seek specific qualities in an apple.

对于苹果特殊品质的期望

On the one hand, farmers may want them to be disease-resistant and to store well.

一方面，农民们希望他们种的果树不轻易染病，产的苹果容易储藏

On the other, consumers are swayed by appearance, taste, and novelty.

另一方面，消费者们则倾向于购买好看，好吃和新奇的品种

So, breeders have to consider everything

因此，育种人员就要考虑到各种因素

from how well apples grow in certain climates

包括苹果在不同气候中的生长情况

to their color, taste, and size.

以及果子的颜色，味道和大小

And sometimes finding the perfect fit means breeding something new.

有时候最完美的方案就是发明一个新品种

To create apples with desirable characteristics,

要想育出各方面都出色的苹果品种

breeders first need to find parent apples that carry those characteristics.

育种人员先得找到一对出色的苹果“父母”

Once the parents have been selected,

选好父母之后

they have to wait until the trees bloom in the spring.

育种人员要等到它们的果树在春天开花

The breeder takes the pollen from one bloom, called the father,

然后从被称作父亲的果树中取出花粉

and transfers it by hand to the other parent bloom, called the mother,

再用手将花粉转移到母亲果树那里

through a process called cross-pollination.

这个过程叫做“异花授粉”

Once the mother bloom turns into an apple,

当母树开花并结出果实

the seeds are collected and then planted.

育种人员会取出果核，对其进行栽种

It takes about five years for these seeds to grow into trees that produce apples,

从这些果核生长成树到结出苹果，大概需要5年的时间

but because of the way traits are inherited,

但是由于继承特点的方式有异

all of the seedlings produced will have different sets of genes

这些果核都会具有不同的基因

and characteristics.

和特性

This means that to achieve a desired quality,

因此，想要配出质量令人满意的苹果

it takes a lot of offspring,

需要经过很多实验

not to mention patience on the breeder's part.

育种人员需要非常地耐心

When a seedling does bear fruit with the desired qualities,

当他们发现某种果核正是他们所要

it's selected for further evaluation.

这个果核将被选中进行下一步检测

Of the original crossed seedlings,

在最初开始参加配种的果核中

about one in every 5,000 makes it to this prestigious stage.

每5000个中大概只有1个会有幸被选中

They're then sent to new farms

这些幸运果核会被送到一个新农场

where breeders can assess how various climates and soil types

在那里育种人员会对气候和土壤种类进行检测

affect the plant's growth.

看看这里是否适合果树种植

The fruit of the seedling and its many clones

这些果核和它们的克隆体

must then be collected and sampled to ensure consistency.

必须被进行整理和筛选，以确保它们的特性一致

Breeders study about 45 traits in an apple,

育种人员会学习一个苹果的45种特性

like the texture and firmness of the flesh,

比如口感和果肉的紧实度

when it ripens,

当苹果成熟后

how sugary its juice is,

果肉的含糖度

and how long it stays fresh.

以及果子的保鲜时间

Over several years, they weed out all the bad apples,

经过几年的研究，育种人员会筛掉较差的果种

selecting only those whose fruits are the best.

只选出成果上乘的果种

These exclusive plants officially form the cultivar,

这些幸运儿会正式成为“培育对象”

or new apple variety.

或者是新型果种

To ensure an exact copy of this cultivar,

为了确保不出差错地复制出更多的“培育对象”

all apple trees must be grafted from the original seedling.

所有果树必须直接由原始果种移植而成

Branches, called scion wood,

树枝，在这称作“接穗”枝

are cut from the original tree and grown to generate more scion wood.

会被从原始果树剪下，并被用来种植更多接穗枝

Segments of these trees are then grafted onto root stalk -

接下来，这些树的各个部分会被嫁接到树根上

that's the lower section of another tree

也就是另一棵树最低的部分

that's been chosen from a different cultivar

这个部分是从不同的培育对象那里选来的

for its superior roots and growing ability.

因为它的根部健壮，生长能力强

Finally, this fusion creates a new apple tree

最终，这个融合过程创造出一颗新的果树

with the desired qualities.

并富有我们想要的特质

Each new plant takes up to four years

每颗新果树都要花4年以上的时间

before it starts producing the fruit we eat.

才会开始产出可供我们享受的果实

Apple breeding may be a difficult art, but it's accessible to all:

苹果育种听起来像是一种艰难的艺术，但却是谁都可以尝试：

universities,

大学

companies,

各种公司

and even individuals can create new cultivars.

甚至普通人都能在家创造新果苗

But to fully own an apple, the breeder faces a final challenge -

但要是真想拥有新苹果的产权，育种人员还面临着一个终极挑战 －

naming the fruit.

给苹果起名字

After a cultivar is patented,

在一个果种取得专利后

a breeder chooses a name for its trademark.

育种人员会给它选一个名字来作为商标

That final step grants them long-lasting rights over the apple and its clones.

完成这一步后才可以永远拥有这个苹果和它的复制果

That name must be completely original,

这个名字必须是没人用过的名字

and the catchier, the better, of course.

而且当然是越好记越有利

With over 7,500 varieties and counting,

目前我们有7500多种苹果，而且这个数字还在增加

that's why we have apples called Pink Lady,

这就是为什么我们现在看到的苹果有像粉红佳人

Sweet Tango,

绝美探戈

Kiku,

蜜酷

and EverCrisp.

久脆果这样的苹果名字

The more we work with nature's bounty to breed new cultivars,

如果我们能更好利用自然界中的丰富果类来育种

the more creative and delectable these names will become.

就能有更多具特色和更美味的苹果问世