Chimera pear fruit

@KS_razerback pointed out the chimera fruit and asked if it is the same as the striped fruit.


Chimera fruit is very rare and has two distinguishable sides to the fruit whereas striped fruit has some overlap and is less defined. Striped pears - research is needed - #12 by KS_razerback

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My understanding is they are not exactly the same.

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Chimeras are where two different genetic cell lines are propagating often in a single leaf, stem, fruit, or even an entire organism. Striped fruit is an entirely different mechanism. It is caused by a single gene which can flip back and forth between two states.

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Chimera



Striped bitter orange not considered chimera and considered striped.

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Ok, thanks, that makes more sense on how to tell chimera striping versus genetic trait striping.

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@KS_razerback

It’s a very fine line splitting those hairs between definitions on that topic. Check out this Red St. Lawrence Apple. That is a very beautiful striped apple! Red St. Lawrence Apple - Fedco Seeds

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Mutations/sports traits are inheritable to offspring, right?

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@KS_razerback

Yes usually only a small percentage.

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Some mutations are a result of methylation, transposons, or other genetic events that are not permanent. When a cell undergoes meiosis (splitting for reproduction), often the DNA will change such as from transposons. When this occurs, a mutation may be changed in ways that make it no longer expressed. In other words, some mutations are not inheritable.

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My old red Bartlett tree has a small limb sport that produces striped red and green, or yellow depending on the ripeness, pears.
Its small and low on the tree so doesn’t do anything but fruit. No new vegetative wood. Im thinking about a concerted effort to get it to produce some usable scions so i can make a new tree.

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@jcf

It sounds like a sport worth nurturing

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Could be. what do you think? just remove the fruit or maybe something more drastic?