Apples have evolved to be sweet and big

 

Researchers tracking the evolution of apples over the years have discovered that modern-day varieties are 3.6 times heavier, about half as acidic, and far less bitter than the wild ancestral species (much like crab apples) from which modern apples are derived.

I was going to put on my science reporter hat and describe this research, from scientists at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

But the University's own account of the work (the source of the quote above) is so well written I am just going to point you there.

Also to the paper itself, "Phenotypic divergence between the cultivated apple (Malus domestica) and its primary wild progenitor (Malus sieversii)" PLoS ONE 17(3).

Still, I will quote a few quotes and add a few notes.

Phenotype refers to the physical expression of the genotype, the genetic code. (In much the same way, the less-scientific term terroir refers to the characteristics of the land as expressed in, say, grapes or (maybe) apples.)

Phenotypes include not just size and sweetness but also such attributes as keeping qualities, cold-hardiness, blossom dates, and precocity (how old a tree must be to bear fruit).

From the authors

Traits such as precocity, harvest date, and flowering date have practical implications for apple producers, as these traits influence investment timelines, crop quality and fruit damage risk.

Weight, firmness, sugar content, acidity and phenolic content are important considerations for processors and consumers, who have specific preferences for these quality attributes when choosing to purchase apples.

From Alison Auld of Dalhousie's Media Centre

The team drew from Canada's Apple Biodiversity Collection.... Because the wild ancestors of modern-day apples are grown alongside modern apples under identical conditions in the [collection], scientists have an unprecedented chance to see evolution in action.

PLoS ONE is a peer-reviewed, online, open-source science journal.

Researchers are increasingly turning to such platforms to publish their work, in response to substantial costs charged by older journals, and to other issues.

Nova Scotia is an apple-science powerhouse. Dalhousie is there, along with the Apple Biodiversitity Collection.

A recent paper from some of the same team (and others) used genetic analysis to look at the (lack of) diversity among commercial North American apple varieties.

Auld, Alison. 2022. "Bigger, sweeter, less acidic: Dal researchers trace evolution of apples and how they've been improved" (Dalhousie University web page, March 29, 2022).

Davies, Thomas, Sophie Watts, Kendra McClure, Zoë Migicovsky, Sean Myles. 2022. "Phenotypic divergence between the cultivated apple (Malus domestica) and its primary wild progenitor (Malus sieversii)." PLoS ONE 17(3): e0250751.