Alybaa
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Seedless Apples - Is this Unusual?

I noticed that my large self sown apple tree produces seedless large red apples with five crowns.Have I a new cultivar or is this common?
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Seedless apples  cut open
Seedless apples cut open

JONA
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Hi Alybaa
Seedless apples ( pathnocarpic) are quite rare. There are a few but you are very lucky to have one that is a nice eater.
You can call it what you like as it is your own Apple.
I don't know where you live...but I would suggest that you contact a local breeding station or nursery for further checking.
The novelty value of a good quality seedless Apple may have a great future ...so good luck.

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rainbowgardener
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I just want to say Welcome to the Forum!

I love it when it works like this. Two hours after you posted your question, you had a very precise and helpful response from a professional orchardist: SEMI RETIRED FRUIT AND GLASSHOUSE GROWER. HORTICULTURAL LECTURER MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTURE.

Thanks, JONA.

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Ozark Lady
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Seedless apples, wow.

You know, if I were you, and since finding that they are rare. I would definitely see if I could start some new ones from new growth this year, and establish some back up apple tree saplings. I don't know if it would be better to graft onto existing rootstock or on its own, maybe experiment both ways.
Do you ever find a seed? If so, are they viable?

JONA
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Alybaa...
How many of your fruits are seed free.?
How large are the fruits?
How sweet is the Apple?.
The only seedless apples around are poor quality, small fruited vars that I know of.
Research station have looked long and hard to produce such a fruit.
For a fruit to ripen normally , the seeds send a chemical signal once they are mature that encourages the fruit to sweeten and prepare to fall from the tree.
If all the fruit on the tree is seedless this raises some great questions on what happens now.
Your tree could be of great interest to any breeder.
.

Alybaa
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The tree is covered with fruit mainly large that turns red when ripe and the apple has a sweet texture similar to a cross between a granny smith and a red delicious . I have found no seeds at all yet in any of the apples.The flowers are normal pink white in summer. I live in western Australia in the south west and the tree is tall and has a large crown and suckers from the lower trunk. I have a beehive in my backyard so there are an abundance of bees for pollination.
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Bottom of seedless red apple  with 5 crowns.
Bottom of seedless red apple with 5 crowns.

Alybaa
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I have described its taste as sweet juicy and akin to a pink lady but more easily chewed and eaten. It is 8 and a half centimetres in diameter and has an abundance of fruit. Is it best to take cuttings in winter when it loses its leaves? It is a seedling apple that came up in my front yard many decades ago.

JONA
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Hi Alybaa.
I have sent an Email to Curtin Research Station which
I understand is in your general area about your tree.
I await a reply....so here's hoping

Best wishes.
John.

Alybaa
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Thank you so much Jona and all the other respondents.I hope for the best also as I think it is a challenge to produce an apple like this.

Alybaa
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This is a reply received from Dept of Agriculture in Perth West Australia.

The phenomena is called parthenocarpy, which is controlled by one recessive gene. Parthenocarpy (literally meaning virgin fruit) is the natural or artificially induced production of fruit without fertilization of ovules. The fruits is therefore seedless. It may have some commercial importance such as avoiding biennial problem, making pollinator trees unnecessary, avoiding problems of pests associated with seeds etc, but whether it has value or not depends on other factors such as fruit quality and yield.
Natural parthenocarpy occurs in a number of commercially important species, such as pineapple, bananas, melon, pear, citrus.
In apple, there are some varieties which are seedless such as Spencer Seedless, and some varieties have such tendencies such as Granny Smith.
Because no other apple trees available of course your apple fruits won't produce seeds or produce very very limited if not at all.
Thought you may be interested.

JONA
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Hi Alybaa
Try a local fruit tree nursery if you can. Take a few samples along to show the size and taste.
I still think this is a tree that needs further investigation.
good luck.

Malus domestica
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Hi everyone,

I am very interested in this seedless apple. Does anyone know what happened to this apple variety? Or has anyone of you also detected a new seedless apple variety?

Thank you in advance!



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