Plant clones
Q: Variability in the
appearance of people is
attributed chiefly to
genetic differences. Does
the same hold true of, say,
trees? If we clone a
seedling, and plant the
clone next to the original
so they have the same
environment, will they
branch at the same place
and achieve near identical
appearances?
[Kathryn Eberhart, www.FruitFromWashington.com] Apple and pear orchards
sleep in snow on the slopes below Manastash Ridge near Ellensburg, Washington.
A: "Branching habit is often
identical among clones,"
says Dan Lineberger, professor of horticulture at Texas A&M University. The columnar clones
of Norway maple all look alike. So do weeping white mulberries and weeping European beeches.
So your answer is: yes. There may be some differences due to age between a clone and its parent
when planted side by side. But otherwise they should look identical if there are no differences in
soil, nutrition, and watering.
Cloning has been commonplace in horticulture since ancient times. Gardeners cut a leaf, stem, or
root and plant it in the ground to create new plants identical to the original. Nearly all
commercially important fruit and nut crops rely on varieties created through cloning a good
individual. In these orchards, all the trees are clones, looking much alike.
Further Surfing:
Principles of fruit growing, FruitFromWashington.com
Figure Source: See forwarded permission.
Http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/Seasons/four.htm
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