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What is the growth cycle of the apple? Life Cycle of Apple Trees Background Information: In winter the apple tree rests. On the branches are buds, some of which contain leaves and others that contain five flowers. With warmer spring weather, the leaf buds unfold and flower buds begin to grow on the ends of the twigs. Honeybees are attracted to the apple flowers by nectar and the scent of the petals. As the bee collects nectar, it also picks up pollen. When the bee lands on a flower on another tree, it brushes against the pistil of the flower, leaving pollen grains on the sticky stigma. The pollen grains send tubes down through the styles to reach the ovary (pollination). Through the filament the sperm present in pollen can reach the ovules that are in the ovary. The fertilized ovules will become seeds. The outer wall of the ovary develops into the fleshy white part of the apple. The inner wall of the ovary becomes the apple core around the seeds. In summer, the apples grow bigger and gradually change color, and the tree produces new growth. In fall, the apples ripen. About two weeks before the harvest, the apples' food supply from the tree is cut off and the apples become sweeter. Most apples are harvested by hand, primarily in September and October.  The flowers have many parts that are crucial to the formation of apples: * Sepals - five green, leaf-like structures that make up a flower's calyx * Petals - the part of a flower that attracts insects by their color and scent * Stamens - the male reproductive part made up of an anther and filament * Anther - the part of the stamen that produces pollen * Filament - the stalk of the stamen * Pistil - female part of the flower, made up of a stigma, style, and an ovary * Stigma - the top of a flower's pistil * Style - the part of a pistil that connects the stigma and the ovary * Ovary - the rounded base of the pistil, inside of which are five compartments each containing two ovules, female reproductive cells that can become seeds Apples are one of the most popular, flavorful and healthful fruits grown in the world. Three-fourths of America's population, both young and old, name apples as one of their favorite fruits for snacking. They are also great with meals. Apples are pre-packaged in nature's own wrapper. Several servings of apples and apple products should be included in children's diet every day to help build a healthy body. Apple growing is an important industry in America. The state of Washington ranks first in the number of bushels grown, followed by New York, Michigan, California and many other states. Today, the science of apple growing is called pomology. Over the years many people have worked together to refine methods to produce the best formed and tastiest apples. It takes about four or five years for apple trees to produce their first fruits. Apple trees are grown on farms, better known as apple orchards. In spring apple trees blossom with fragrant, sweet smelling white flowers. Many apple growers place beehives in their orchards while the trees are blossoming so that the honeybees can pollinate the flowers. When the blossoms fall off the pollinated flowers, baby apples begin to grow in their place. The apple crop is harvested in the fall when the apples are fully grown and ripened. Most of our nation's crop is picked from the trees by hand, then washed, packed and delivered by refrigerated trains and trucks to markets and grocery stores, or made into apple juice, apple cider, apple butter, applesauce and other nutritious apple products. There are 2,500 varieties of apples grown throughout the __________. The top ten are: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, McIntosh, York Imperial, Rome Beauty, Johnathan, Stayman, Newtown Pippin, and Winesap. Do any of these grow in your area? Which have you eaten? Be adventurous and try a few that are new to you. |