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Outlook 鈥  12/6/2023

Hybrid Fruits and Vegetables 鈥 Far From a New Concept

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Even before she ate her first sugar snap pea, Karen Caplan knew that hybrid fruits and vegetables were a key part of the world of produce. Her mother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan, had created a business in 1962 largely by introducing exotic new fruits and vegetables to Americans, and Karen eventually took over as president and CEO of the eponymous business, Frieda鈥檚. But seeing the birth of that particular type of pea brought home to her the genius of combining two different breeds of plants.

听

Here鈥檚 how it happened: One of Frieda鈥檚 growers had noticed that both the Chinese flat snow pea and the English pea had less-than-ideal characteristics. The former had a tasty exterior but harbored a row of tiny, immature peas, while the latter yielded plump, delicious peas in an inedible shell. The grower wondered: What if the two were crossbred? The results were revelatory: The sugar snap pea merged the best qualities of the two and the hybrid vegetable became a beloved staple on supermarket shelves. 鈥淏rilliant idea,鈥 Caplan says. 鈥淚 did an illustration that went on the package that showed the consumer that you have this plump English-looking pea, but you don鈥檛 have to pull it apart.鈥

听

Crossbreeding has taken place in nature for as long as crops have been grown. 鈥淏ut what鈥檚 happened,鈥 Caplan says, 鈥渋s we鈥檝e been able to accelerate that many times, because scientists are so brilliant and so innovative.鈥

听

Indeed, despite all the advancements in genetic technology, traditional hybrids are still the domain of plant breeders who harness nature by crossbreeding plants鈥攖aking the old-fashioned route to optimize crops for food security, pest resistance, climate resilience, and new tastes alike. Hybrids such as Cavendish bananas, boysenberries, and the aforementioned sugar snaps have changed consumer tastes forever, while newer ones like pink strawberries, Cotton Candy grapes, and the plum-apricot combination called 鈥減luots鈥 are still finding their audiences. But one thing is for sure: They鈥檙e here to stay, and in a changing climate they鈥檙e more important than ever.

听

Building a better apple

purple and green seed pods
Close×
purple and green seed pods

Even before she ate her first sugar snap pea, Karen Caplan knew that hybrid fruits and vegetables were a key part of the world of produce. Her mother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan, had created a business in 1962 largely by introducing exotic new fruits and vegetables to Americans, and Karen eventually took over as president and CEO of the eponymous business, Frieda鈥檚. But seeing the birth of that particular type of pea brought home to her the genius of combining two different breeds of plants.

听

Here鈥檚 how it happened: One of Frieda鈥檚 growers had noticed that both the Chinese flat snow pea and the English pea had less-than-ideal characteristics. The former had a tasty exterior but harbored a row of tiny, immature peas, while the latter yielded plump, delicious peas in an inedible shell. The grower wondered: What if the two were crossbred? The results were revelatory: The sugar snap pea merged the best qualities of the two and the hybrid vegetable became a beloved staple on supermarket shelves. 鈥淏rilliant idea,鈥 Caplan says. 鈥淚 did an illustration that went on the package that showed the consumer that you have this plump English-looking pea, but you don鈥檛 have to pull it apart.鈥

听

Crossbreeding has taken place in nature for as long as crops have been grown. 鈥淏ut what鈥檚 happened,鈥 Caplan says, 鈥渋s we鈥檝e been able to accelerate that many times, because scientists are so brilliant and so innovative.鈥

听

Indeed, despite all the advancements in genetic technology, traditional hybrids are still the domain of plant breeders who harness nature by crossbreeding plants鈥攖aking the old-fashioned route to optimize crops for food security, pest resistance, climate resilience, and new tastes alike. Hybrids such as Cavendish bananas, boysenberries, and the aforementioned sugar snaps have changed consumer tastes forever, while newer ones like pink strawberries, Cotton Candy grapes, and the plum-apricot combination called 鈥減luots鈥 are still finding their audiences. But one thing is for sure: They鈥檙e here to stay, and in a changing climate they鈥檙e more important than ever.

听

Building a better apple

To demystify the process of developing hybridized produce, let鈥檚 look at the journey of a grocery-store icon: the apple.

听

When breeders at academic institutions or private companies aim to create a new apple breed, the idea is to merge two varieties with desirable qualities and complementary strengths, says Jim Luby, a professor in the University of Minnesota鈥檚 Department of Horticultural Science, who has directed fruit-crop breeding and genetics research since 1982.

听

Researchers have many varieties and unnamed selections available to them to use as parents. 鈥淥ne might be a very crisp fruit but susceptible to a disease, so you might cross that with one that鈥檚 disease resistant,鈥 Luby says.

several apples, one is cut in half
Close×
several apples, one is cut in half

To demystify the process of developing hybridized produce, let鈥檚 look at the journey of a grocery-store icon: the apple.

听

When breeders at academic institutions or private companies aim to create a new apple breed, the idea is to merge two varieties with desirable qualities and complementary strengths, says Jim Luby, a professor in the University of Minnesota鈥檚 Department of Horticultural Science, who has directed fruit-crop breeding and genetics research since 1982.

听

Researchers have many varieties and unnamed selections available to them to use as parents. 鈥淥ne might be a very crisp fruit but susceptible to a disease, so you might cross that with one that鈥檚 disease resistant,鈥 Luby says.

In spring, breeders hand-pollinate the flowers of a tree that has one set of desirable characteristics with the pollen of another tree with different desirable characteristics, then cover them to prevent bees and other pollinators from introducing other types of pollen. Seedlings are then grown and grafted to a rootstock, where breeders first evaluate them in the fruiting stage. The ones that show the most potential are called 鈥渟elections,鈥 and they are further grafted or cloned to get multiple copies鈥攖o confirm the traits that breeders saw in the seedling. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 really at that point, where we鈥檝e done some of what we call a 鈥榗lonal evaluation,鈥 where we鈥檝e evaluated multiple copies of an individual, that we hope we have an idea of its potential,鈥 Luby says.

听

In the fall, the plants yield seeds that are then either sprouted in a greenhouse over the winter or planted in spring. Raising the trees can take four to seven years, and when they finally flower and yield fruit, they鈥檙e evaluated for various traits鈥攖exture usually being the first. 鈥淛ust about everyone in the world likes a crisp apple,鈥 Luby says. 鈥淎nd otherwise, they鈥檝e got to have some kind of a pleasing flavor.鈥 The breeder goes into the process looking for a taste profile that tips into either the sweet or the tart category, depending on what they think the market most strongly desires.

White Apple blossom close up
Close×
White Apple blossom close up

In spring, breeders hand-pollinate the flowers of a tree that has one set of desirable characteristics with the pollen of another tree with different desirable characteristics, then cover them to prevent bees and other pollinators from introducing other types of pollen. Seedlings are then grown and grafted to a rootstock, where breeders first evaluate them in the fruiting stage. The ones that show the most potential are called 鈥渟elections,鈥 and they are further grafted or cloned to get multiple copies鈥攖o confirm the traits that breeders saw in the seedling. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 really at that point, where we鈥檝e done some of what we call a 鈥榗lonal evaluation,鈥 where we鈥檝e evaluated multiple copies of an individual, that we hope we have an idea of its potential,鈥 Luby says.

听

In the fall, the plants yield seeds that are then either sprouted in a greenhouse over the winter or planted in spring. Raising the trees can take four to seven years, and when they finally flower and yield fruit, they鈥檙e evaluated for various traits鈥攖exture usually being the first. 鈥淛ust about everyone in the world likes a crisp apple,鈥 Luby says. 鈥淎nd otherwise, they鈥檝e got to have some kind of a pleasing flavor.鈥 The breeder goes into the process looking for a taste profile that tips into either the sweet or the tart category, depending on what they think the market most strongly desires.

The new apple breed must also have a reasonably attractive appearance鈥攊deally a bright color鈥攁nd be free from skin cracks or other defects. 鈥淓specially for the first sale of a new variety, getting a shopper to notice the fruit in the display is important,鈥 Luby says. A final step is to stow the apples away for several months and then test them again to make sure the variety holds up in storage.

听

If an apple breed passes all these tests, it heads to a nationwide network of growers that vet new varieties. 鈥淭hey have a grower鈥檚 eye, or a commercial eye, for what might be valuable,鈥 Luby says. Some apples develop viruses while growing over the next few years, which can be an issue with clonally propagated crops, Luby says鈥攂ut that doesn鈥檛 necessarily disqualify them. The variety can be treated and the virus removed at the Clean Plant Center Northwest in Washington state, after which growers can safely reintroduce the species into their orchards.

听

If the apple passes all these tests, the breeder will license nurseries to propagate trees and apply for a patent. 鈥淚f it proves to be useful in a lot of those environments and pleasing to the consumer, it鈥檚 commercialized,鈥 Luby says. 鈥淎nd growers will grow it and marketers will market it.鈥

听

From there? The classic tale of Johnny Appleseed is fictional for a reason: Every tree that comes from this new variety is cloned by grafting a seedling onto an existing rootstock rather than grown from a seed. 鈥淓very one of these new varieties traces back to one apple tree,鈥 Luby says. That鈥檚 because apple trees are what鈥檚 known as genetically self-incompatible鈥攖hat is, they can鈥檛 self-fertilize from a single seed, and will instead borrow from whatever is available, even a crabapple. In nature, this is how the tree maintains its sturdiness and adaptability to different environments.

听

Made to last

rows of apple trees blossoming
Close×
rows of apple trees blossoming

The new apple breed must also have a reasonably attractive appearance鈥攊deally a bright color鈥攁nd be free from skin cracks or other defects. 鈥淓specially for the first sale of a new variety, getting a shopper to notice the fruit in the display is important,鈥 Luby says. A final step is to stow the apples away for several months and then test them again to make sure the variety holds up in storage.

听

If an apple breed passes all these tests, it heads to a nationwide network of growers that vet new varieties. 鈥淭hey have a grower鈥檚 eye, or a commercial eye, for what might be valuable,鈥 Luby says. Some apples develop viruses while growing over the next few years, which can be an issue with clonally propagated crops, Luby says鈥攂ut that doesn鈥檛 necessarily disqualify them. The variety can be treated and the virus removed at the Clean Plant Center Northwest in Washington state, after which growers can safely reintroduce the species into their orchards.

听

If the apple passes all these tests, the breeder will license nurseries to propagate trees and apply for a patent. 鈥淚f it proves to be useful in a lot of those environments and pleasing to the consumer, it鈥檚 commercialized,鈥 Luby says. 鈥淎nd growers will grow it and marketers will market it.鈥

听

From there? The classic tale of Johnny Appleseed is fictional for a reason: Every tree that comes from this new variety is cloned by grafting a seedling onto an existing rootstock rather than grown from a seed. 鈥淓very one of these new varieties traces back to one apple tree,鈥 Luby says. That鈥檚 because apple trees are what鈥檚 known as genetically self-incompatible鈥攖hat is, they can鈥檛 self-fertilize from a single seed, and will instead borrow from whatever is available, even a crabapple. In nature, this is how the tree maintains its sturdiness and adaptability to different environments.

听

Made to last

That hardiness鈥攏ot only in apples, but in all crops鈥攊s important now as much as ever, in a climate-challenged world.

听

Luby says diseases common to North Carolina and Virginia are now turning up in southern New England; out west, water availability and heat are becoming critical issues. In areas unexpectedly seeing early frost damage, researchers are developing varieties that stay dormant until later in the season. 鈥淐limate change isn鈥檛 going to be the same everywhere,鈥 Luby says. 鈥淭here are different effects in different places.鈥

听

If a breed navigates this developmental gauntlet, the final stop is your local supermarket aisle. People can be creatures of habit, which can make selling a new variety challenging. But conversely, Caplan says, Frieda鈥檚 customers are often delighted to find something new. 鈥淧eople get bored. Like you might eat broccoli all day long, but you wish the broccoli stalk wasn鈥檛 so thick and so bitter鈥攁nd broccolini appears.鈥

听

Buyers like the incremental change that hybrids bring鈥攚hen the item is familiar but offers a new twist. 鈥淥ur philosophy has always been to keep a few aspects of the item similar to what a consumer is used to鈥攋ust change it up a little bit,鈥 Caplan says.

听

But even that鈥檚 not truly the end of our hypothetical apple鈥檚 journey. After it comes to market, there鈥檚 sometimes still tweaking to be done. The Honeycrisp was a hit when it first appeared in 1991, but the fruit didn鈥檛 ripen until mid to late September鈥攍ater than sellers liked. Hence the recent development of two new but earlier-growing types: Sweetango and Rave. If you wish it, in the world of hybrids, almost anything is possible.

rows of baskets of red apples
Close×
rows of baskets of red apples

That hardiness鈥攏ot only in apples, but in all crops鈥攊s important now as much as ever, in a climate-challenged world.

听

Luby says diseases common to North Carolina and Virginia are now turning up in southern New England; out west, water availability and heat are becoming critical issues. In areas unexpectedly seeing early frost damage, researchers are developing varieties that stay dormant until later in the season. 鈥淐limate change isn鈥檛 going to be the same everywhere,鈥 Luby says. 鈥淭here are different effects in different places.鈥

听

If a breed navigates this developmental gauntlet, the final stop is your local supermarket aisle. People can be creatures of habit, which can make selling a new variety challenging. But conversely, Caplan says, Frieda鈥檚 customers are often delighted to find something new. 鈥淧eople get bored. Like you might eat broccoli all day long, but you wish the broccoli stalk wasn鈥檛 so thick and so bitter鈥攁nd broccolini appears.鈥

听

Buyers like the incremental change that hybrids bring鈥攚hen the item is familiar but offers a new twist. 鈥淥ur philosophy has always been to keep a few aspects of the item similar to what a consumer is used to鈥攋ust change it up a little bit,鈥 Caplan says.

听

But even that鈥檚 not truly the end of our hypothetical apple鈥檚 journey. After it comes to market, there鈥檚 sometimes still tweaking to be done. The Honeycrisp was a hit when it first appeared in 1991, but the fruit didn鈥檛 ripen until mid to late September鈥攍ater than sellers liked. Hence the recent development of two new but earlier-growing types: Sweetango and Rave. If you wish it, in the world of hybrids, almost anything is possible.

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