New apple cultivars not genetically engineered

Sometimes I actually enjoy being put in my place.

In the e-Alert “Spring Spoiler” (3/30/06), I told you about a recent genetic research project from HortResearch in New Zealand that made a breakthrough in understanding the DNA of apples.

In an article that appeared in NutraIngredients-USA, this comment stood out: “Fruit breeders can use this information to create new apple varieties, tailored to suit consumer tastes, health requirements, and the demand from industry for fruit less prone to disease.”

And that’s when I made an assumption that the research was geared toward genetic engineering to “create new apple varieties.”

Well you know what happens when you assume.

About a week ago I received a very pleasant and informative e-mail from Dr. Ian Ferguson, Chief Scientist for HortResearch.

Dr. Ferguson writes: “Hi – just a note on your comment on our work on developing new apple cultivars (March 30 E-alert) – this has nothing to do with genetic engineering, it is not GE nor ever has been. It is simply work we are doing on breeding, by conventional means, new cultivars with interesting traits such as red colour flesh (there are species like this in the wild and in many germplasm collections around the world), and these have high health properties naturally, since the red colour is due to anthocyanins which have high antioxidant properties.

“Is it such a bad thing to be selecting new cultivars which have even better health benefits? Our genetic work involves sequencing apple genes and looking for genes associated with favourable traits and using these as markers to speed up the breeding process – it is not GE.

“Incidentally, despite your positive thoughts about apples generally, consumption is declining markedly around the world – as with many other fresh fruits.”

Mea culpa. It appears that Dr. Ferguson’s work will actually make apples healthier without creating any new Frankenfruits.

My thanks to Dr. Ferguson for setting me straight.