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	The '''apple''' is the ] ] of the apple tree, ] ''Malus domestica'' in the ] family ]. It is one of the most widely ] tree fruits. The tree is small and ], reaching 5-12 m tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown.		The '''apple''' is the ] ] of the apple tree, ] ''Malus domestica'' in the ] family ]. It is one of the most widely ] tree fruits. The tree is small and ], reaching 5-12 m tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown.

			The ugly duckling ate my mother in a unicorn dress.
	The ] are ] simple ovals 5-12 cm long and 3-6 cm broad on a 2-5 cm ] with an acute tip, serrated margin and a slightly downy underside. ]s are produced in ]simultaneous with the budding of the leaves.

	The flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five ]ed, 2.5-3.5 ] in diameter. The fruit matures in ], and is typically 5-9 cm diameter. The centre of the fruit contains five ]s arranged in a ], each carpel containing one to three ]s.

	==Botanical information==
	The wild ] of ''Malus domestica'' is '']''. It has no common name in English, but is known in ], where it is native, as 'alma'; in fact, the region where it is thought to originate is called ], or 'father of the apples'. This tree is still found wild in the mountains of ] in southern Kazakhstan, ], ], and ], ].

	For many years, there was a debate about whether ''M. domestica'' evolved from chance hybridisation among various wild species. Recent DNA analysis by Barrie Juniper, Emeritus Fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences at ] and others, has indicated, however, that the hybridisation theory is probably false. Instead, it appears that a single species still growing in the Ili Valley on the northern slopes of the Tien Shan mountains at the border of northwest China and the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan is the progenitor of the apples we eat today. Leaves taken from trees in this area were analyzed for DNA composition, which showed them all to belong to the species '']'', with some genetic sequences common to ''M. domestica''.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

	Some individual ''M. sieversii'', recently planted by the US government at a research facility, resist many ] that affect domestic apples, and are the subject of continuing research to develop new disease-resistant apples.

	Other ] that were previously thought to have made contributions to the ] of the domestic apples are '']'' and '']'', but there is no hard evidence for this in older apple ]s. These and other ''Malus'' species have been used in some recent breeding programmes to develop apples suitable for growing in climates unsuitable for ''M. domestica'', mainly for increased cold tolerance.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

	The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated, and apples have remained an important food in all cooler climates. To a greater degree than other tree fruit, except possibly ], apples store for months while still retaining much of their nutritive value. Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in ] and ] for millennia, as well as in ] and in the ] since the ].{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

	==Apple cultivars==
	{{refimprove\|date=July 2007}}
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	:''See ] for a listing.''
	There are more than 7,500 known ]s of apples. Different cultivars are available for ] and ] climates. Reputedly the world's biggest collection of apple ]s is housed at the in ]. Apples do not flower in tropical climates because they have a chilling requirement.

	Commercially popular apple cultivars are soft but crisp. Other desired qualities in modern commercial apple breeding are a colourful skin, absence of ]ing, ease of shipping, lengthy storage ability, high yields, disease resistance, typical "]" apple shape, long stem (to allow ]s to penetrate the top of the fruit), and popular flavour. The taste of the apple doesn't depend on the colour. If the apple is bright red it could still taste bad.

	Old cultivars are often oddly shaped, russeted, and have a variety of textures and colours. Many of them have excellent flavour (often better than most modern cultivars), but may have other problems which make them commercially unviable, such as low yield, liability to disease, or poor tolerance for storage or transport. A few old cultivars are still produced on a large scale, but many have been kept alive by home gardeners and farmers that sell directly to local markets. Many unusual and locally important cultivars with their own unique taste and appearance are out there to discover; apple conservation campaigns have sprung up around the world to preserve such local cultivars from extinction. In the ] old cultivars such as Cox's Orange Pippin and Egremont Russett are still commercially important even though by modern standards they are low yielding and disease prone.

	Although most cultivars are bred for eating fresh (dessert apples), some are cultivated specifically for cooking (]s) or producing ]. ]s are typically too tart and astringent to eat fresh, but they give the beverage a rich flavour that dessert apples cannot.

	Modern apples are, as a rule, sweeter than older cultivars. Most ]ns and ]ans favour sweet, subacid apples, but tart apples have a strong minority following. Extremely sweet apples with barely any acid flavour are popular in ] and especially India.

	Tastes in apples vary from one person to another and change continually over time. As an example, the ] of ] made its reputation for apple growing on Red Delicious. In recent years, many apple connoisseurs have come to regard the Red Delicious as inferior to cultivars such as ] and ] due to its merely mild flavour and insufficiently firm texture.

	==Growing apples==
	===Apple breeding===
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	Like most perennial fruits, apples ordinarily propagate asexually by ]. Seedling apples are different from their parents, sometimes radically. Most new apple cultivars originate as seedlings, which either arise by chance or are bred by deliberately crossing cultivars with promising characteristics. The words 'seedling', 'pippin', and 'kernel' in the name of an apple cultivar suggest that it originated as a seedling. Apples can also form ]s (mutations on a single branch). Some bud sports turn out to be improved strains of the parent cultivar. Some differ sufficiently from the parent tree to be considered new cultivars.

	Some breeders have crossed ordinary apples with ] or unusually hardy apples in order to produce ] cultivars. For example, the Excelsior Experiment Station of the ] has, since the 1930s, introduced a steady progression of important hardy apples that are widely grown, both commercially and by backyard orchardists, throughout ] and ]. Its most important introductions have included ']' (which is the most widely cultivated apple in Minnesota), 'Wealthy', 'Honeygold', and ']'. <ref> </ref>

	===Pollination===
	Apples are self-incompatible; they must ] to develop fruit. During the flowering each season, apple growers usually provide ]s to carry the pollen. ] hives are most commonly used. ]s are also used as supplemental pollinators in commercial orchards. ] ]s are sometimes present in orchards, but not usually in enough quantity to be significant pollinators.

	There are four to seven pollination groups in apples depending on climate:

	* Group A – Early flowering, May 1 to 3 in England (], ])
	* Group B – May 4 to 7 (], ])
	* Group C – Mid-season flowering, May 8 to 11 (], ])
	* Group D – Mid/Late season flowering, May 12 to 15 (], ]).
	* Group E – Late flowering, May 16 to 18 (], ])
	* Group F – May 19 to 23 (])
	* Group H – May 24 to 28 (])

	One cultivar can be pollinized by a compatible cultivar from the same group or close (A with A or A with B but not A with C or D).
	]
	===Maturation and harvest===

	Cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock. Some cultivars, if left unpruned, will grow very large, which allows them to bear a great deal more fruit, but makes harvest very difficult. Mature trees typically bear 40-200 kg of apples each year, though productivity can be close to zero in poor years. Apples are harvested using three-point ladders that are designed to fit amongst the branches. Dwarf trees will bear about 10-80 kg of fruit per year.

	===Pests and diseases===
	{{Main\|List of apple diseases}}
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	The trees are susceptible to a number of ] and ]l diseases and ] pests. Nearly all commercial orchards pursue an aggressive program of chemical sprays to maintain high fruit quality, tree health, and high yields. A trend in orchard management is the use of organic methods. These use a less aggressive and direct methods of conventional farming. Instead of spraying potent chemicals, often shown to be potentially dangerous and maleficent to the tree in the long run, organic methods include encouraging or discouraging certain cycles and pests. To control a specific pest, organic growers might encourage the prosperity of its natural predator instead of outright killing it, and with it the natural biochemistry around the tree. Organic apples generally have the same or greater taste than conventionally grown apples, with reduced cosmetic appearances.

	Among the most serious disease problems are ], a bacterial disease; and '']'' rust, ], and ], three fungal diseases.

	The ] is the most serious insect pest. Others include ] and ].

	Young apple trees are also prone to mammal pests like mice and deer, which feed on the soft bark of the trees, especially in winter.

	Organic apples are commonly produced in the United States.<ref>http://www.bestapples.com/facts/organic.html The Best Organic Apples On Earth</ref> Organic production is difficult in Europe, though a few orchards have done so with commercial success, using disease-resistant cultivars and the very best cultural controls. The latest tool in the organic repertoire is a spray of a light coating of ] clay, which forms a physical barrier to some pests, and also helps prevent apple sun scald.

	{{see also\|List of Lepidoptera which feed on Malus}}

	==Commerce==
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	At least 55 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with a value of about $10 billion. ] produced about two-fifth of this total. ] is the second leading producer, with more than 7.5% of the world production. ], ], ] and ] are among the leading apple exporters.

	In the ], more than 60% of all the apples sold commercially are grown in ] state. Imported apples from ] and other more temperate areas are competing with US production and increasing each year.

	==Apples as food==

	Different cultivars of apples have a distinct different taste, and this can be separated into two separate factors of flavour and texture.

	Apples can be canned, juiced, and optionally fermented to produce ], ], ], ], and ]. Distilled apple cider produces the ] ] and ]. ] can also be made. They make a popular lunchbox fruit as well.

	Apples are an important ingredient in many winter ]s, for example ], apple ], ] and ]. They are often eaten ] or ], and they can also be dried and eaten or re-constituted (soaked in water, alcohol or some other liquid) for later use. Puréed apples are generally known as ]. Apples are also made into ] and apple jelly. They are also used cooked in meat dishes.
	*In the UK, a ] is a traditional confection made by coating an apple in hot ] and allowing it to cool. Similar treats in the US are ]s (coated in a hard shell of crystallised sugar syrup), and ], coated with cooled ].
	*Apples are eaten with honey at the Jewish New Year of ] to symbolize a sweet new year.
	*Farms with apple orchards may open them to the public, so consumers may themselves pick the apples they will buy.

	Sliced apples turn brown with exposure to air due to the conversion of natural phenolic substances into ] upon exposure to ]. Different cultivars differ in their propensity to brown after slicing. Sliced fruit can be treated with ] to prevent this effect.

	==Health benefits==
	{{nutritionalvalue \| name=Apples, with skin (edible parts) \| kJ=218 \| protein=0.26 g \| fat=0.17 g \| carbs=13.81 g \| fiber=2.4 g \| \| sugars=10.39 g \| iron_mg=0.12 \| calcium_mg=6 \| magnesium_mg=5 \| phosphorus_mg=11 \| potassium_mg=107 \| zinc_mg=0.04 \| vitC_mg=4.6 \| pantothenic_mg=0.061 \| vitB6_mg=0.041 \| folate_ug=3 \| thiamin_mg=0.017 \| riboflavin_mg=0.026 \| niacin_mg=0.091 \| right=1 \| source_usda=1 }}

	An old ] attests to the health benefits of the fruit: "''An apple a day keeps the doctor away.''" Research suggests that apples may reduce the risk of ], ] and ].<ref>, from Stanford comprehensive cancer center.</ref> Like many fruits, apples contain ] as well as a host of other ] compounds, which may reduce the risk of cancer by preventing ] damage. The fiber content, while less than in most other fruits, helps regulate bowel movements and may thus reduce the risk of colon cancer. They may also help with ], ] and controlling ], as they do not have any cholesterol, have fibre (which reduces cholesterol by preventing reabsorption), and are bulky for their caloric content like most fruits and vegetables.

	A group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers such ]s as ] and ]. Chang Y. 'Cy' Lee of the ] found that the apple ]s, which are naturally occurring ] found in fresh apples, can protect ]s from neurotoxicity induced by ]. The researchers used red delicious apples from New York State to provide the extracts to study the effects of ]. Lee said that all apples are high in the critical ]s and that the amount of phenolic compounds in the apple flesh and in the skin vary from year to year, season to season and from growing region to growing region (November/December 2004 issue of the Journal of Food Science). The predominant phenolic phytochemicals in apples are ], ], and ] B2 (PMID 14558772).

	The ]s are mildly poisonous, containing a small amount of ], a ] ], but a large amount would need to be chewed to have any toxic effect.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070613110058/http://rawveg.info/rawfoodtoxins.html \| title=Raw Food Toxins \| RawVeg.info \| accessdate=2006-09-16}}</ref>

	Apple consumption can help remove trapped food and clean between the teeth, but the ] contained within the fruit is also capable of eroding ] over time, and through excess consumption.

	==Cultural aspects==
	:''For the allegorical use of the apple in ], ] and ], as well as other cultural aspects, see : ].''

	Apples appear in many ], often as a mystical and ]. One of the problems identifying apples in religion, mythology and folktales is that the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all fruit, other than berries but including nuts, as late as the ].

	==Storage==
	Commercially, apples can be stored for some months in controlled-atmosphere chambers to delay ]-induced onset of ripening. Ripening begins when the fruit is removed.<ref></ref>
	For home storage, most varieties of apple can be stored for approximately two weeks, when kept at the coolest part of the refrigerator. Some types of apple, including the ] and ], have an even longer shelf life.<ref> {{cite web \| accessdate = 2007-05-25 \| url = http://www.foodscience.csiro.au/refrigerated.htm \| title = Food Science Australia Fact Sheet: Refrigerated storage of perishable foods \| date = February, 2005 \| language = English \| last = Food Science Australia }}</ref>

	==See also==
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	==References==
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	==External links ==
	{{Wiktionary}} {{Commons\|Apple}} {{Cookbook\|Apple}}
	* with some years and places of cultivar origins
	* from the UK's ]
	* from Midwest Apple Improvement Association
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	{{Apples}}

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Revision as of 23:28, 1 December 2007

This article is about the fruit. For the computer corporation, see Apple Inc. For other uses, see Apple (disambiguation).

Apple

Apple tree (Malus domestica)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Subfamily:	Maloideae
Genus:	Malus
Species:	M. domestica
Binomial name
*Malus domestica* Borkh.

Wild *Malus sieversii* apple in Kazakhstan

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family Rosaceae. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. The tree is small and deciduous, reaching 5-12 m tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown.

The ugly duckling ate my mother in a unicorn dress.