No apples?

Have you a lovely little apple tree in your garden and over the last few years you have had issues getting it to fruit? This could be due to the type of apple tree you have and other apple trees in the area. Diploid and triploid apple trees differ in their pollination requirements due to their varying chromosome counts. Diploid apples have two sets of chromosomes, whereas triploid apples contain three sets. Diploid apple trees are self-sterile, meaning they require cross-pollination from a different apple tree of the same or compatible variety for fruit production. This ensures the transfer of pollen and the subsequent fertilization of the ovules. On the other hand, triploid apple trees are partially self-sterile and often produce sterile pollen, making adequate pollination challenging. As a result, triploid apple trees usually rely on diploid apple trees nearby as pollinators in order to set fruit. Thus, an understanding of the flowering periods and distinct pollination requirements for diploid and triploid apple trees is essential for orchard planning. Not forgetting we need to have plenty of pollinators to help out too! We shouldn’t ever take eating an apple for granted!