Studies on apple peel color regulation

摘要: One of the most important factors determining apple [Malus pumila P. Mill.] market acceptance is peel color. Most apple cultivars (eg'Royal Gala') produce fruit with a defined fruit pigment pattern, but in the case of'Honeycrisp'apple, trees can produce fruits of two different kinds: striped and blushed. The causes of this phenomenon are unknown. We compared'Honeycrisp'fruit from trees that were propagated from buds occurring on branches carrying only blushed or only striped fruit and concluded that blushed trees tend to produce a higher percentage of blushed fruit than striped trees, indicating a mechanism conserved through cell division. The percentage of blushed fruit on any given tree changed from year to year. Blushed and striped fruit occurred together on the same branch, and even on the same spur, with fruits located in the outer canopy being more likely to be striped. Higher crop loads were associated with …