Have you ever walked into a grocery store and wondered where all those variety of apples came from?
在你走进超市的时候，有没有想过那么多种类的苹果都是从哪来的呢？
You might find SnapDragon, Pixie Crunch, Cosmic Crisp, Jazz, or Ambrosia
你也许能看到龙果、皮克西果、笑脆果、爵士苹果，或者安波西亚苹果
next to the more familiar Red Delicious and Granny Smith.
旁边还有我们更熟悉的红美味和澳洲青苹。
These delightfully descriptive names belong to just a handful of the over 7,500 apple varieties in the world.
这些有着讨人欢喜名字的苹果品种，只是世界上7500种苹果中的一小部分。
This huge diversity exists largely because of humanity's efforts to bear new fruit.
这种庞大的多样性归功于人类发明新果种的努力。
Fruit breeding is a way to fulfill the expectations of farmers and consumers who seek specific qualities in an apple.
苹果育种的方式可以满足农民和消费者对于苹果特殊品质的期望。
On the one hand, farmers may want them to be disease-resistant and to store well.
一方面，农民们希望他们种的果树不轻易染病，产的苹果容易储藏。
On the other, consumers are swayed by appearance, taste, and novelty.
另一方面，消费者们则倾向于购买好看、好吃和新奇的品种。
So, breeders have to consider everything from how well apples grow in certain climates to their color, taste, and size.
因此，育种人员就要考虑到各种因素，包括苹果在不同气候中的生长情况，以及果子的颜色、味道和大小。
And sometimes finding the perfect fit means breeding something new.
有时候最完美的方案就是发明一个新品种。
To create apples with desirable characteristics, breeders first need to find parent apples that carry those characteristics.
要想育出各方面都出色的苹果品种，育种人员先得找到一对出色的苹果“父母”。
Once the parents have been selected, they have to wait until the trees bloom in the spring.
选好父母之后，育种人员要等到它们的果树在春天开花。
The breeder takes the pollen from one bloom, called the father,
然后从被称作父亲的果树中取出花粉，
and transfers it by hand to the other parent bloom, called the mother, through a process called cross-pollination.
再用手将花粉转移到母亲果树那里，这个过程叫做“异花授粉”。

Once the mother bloom turns into an apple, the seeds are collected and then planted.
当母树开花并结出果实，育种人员会取出果核，对其进行栽种。
It takes about five years for these seeds to grow into trees that produce apples,
从这些果核生长成树到结出苹果大概需要5年的时间，
but because of the way traits are inherited,
但是由于继承特点的方式有异，
all of the seedlings produced will have different sets of genes and characteristics.
这些果核都会具有不同的基因和特性。
This means that to achieve a desired quality, it takes a lot of offspring, not to mention patience on the breeder's part.
因此，想要配出质量令人满意的苹果需要经过很多实验，育种人员需要非常地耐心。
When a seedling does bear fruit with the desired qualities, it's selected for further evaluation.
当他们发现某种果核正是他们所要，这个果核将被选中进行下一步检测。
Of the original crossed seedlings, about one in every 5,000 makes it to this prestigious stage.
在最初开始参加配种的果核中，每5000个中大概只有1个会有幸被选中。
They're then sent to new farms where breeders can assess how various climates and soil types affect the plant's growth.
这些幸运果核会被送到一个新农场，在那里育种人员会对气候和土壤种类进行检测，看看这里是否适合果树种植。
The fruit of the seedling and its many clones must then be collected and sampled to ensure consistency.
这些果核和它们的克隆体必须被进行整理和筛选，以确保它们的特性一致。
Breeders study about 45 traits in an apple, like the texture and firmness of the flesh,
育种人员会研究一个苹果的45种特性，比如口感和果肉的紧实度，
when it ripens, how sugary its juice is, and how long it stays fresh.
以及当苹果成熟后，果肉的含糖度以及果子的保鲜时间。
Over several years, they weed out all the bad apples, selecting only those whose fruits are the best.
经过几年的研究，育种人员会筛掉较差的果种，只选出成果上乘的果种。
These exclusive plants officially form the cultivar, or new apple variety.
这些幸运儿会正式成为“培育对象”，或者是新型果种。
To ensure an exact copy of this cultivar, all apple trees must be grafted from the original seedling.
为了确保不出差错地复制出更多的“培育对象”，所有果树必须直接由原始果种移植而成。
Branches, called scion wood, are cut from the original tree and grown to generate more scion wood.
树枝，在这称作“接穗”枝，会被从原始果树剪下，并被用来种植更多接穗枝。
Segments of these trees are then grafted onto root stalk that's the lower section of another tree
接下来，这些树的各个部分会被嫁接到树根上，也就是另一棵树最低的部分，
that's been chosen from a different cultivar for its superior roots and growing ability.
这个部分是从不同的培育对象那里选来的，因为它的根部健壮，生长能力强。
Finally, this fusion creates a new apple tree with the desired qualities.
最终，这个融合过程创造出一颗新的果树，并富有我们想要的特质。
Each new plant takes up to four years before it starts producing the fruit we eat.
每颗新果树都要花4年以上的时间才会开始产出可供我们享受的果实。
Apple breeding may be a difficult art, but it's accessible to all:
苹果育种听起来像是一种艰难的艺术，但却是谁都可以尝试：
universities, companies, and even individuals can create new cultivars.
大学、各种公司，甚至普通人都能在家创造新果苗。
But to fully own an apple, the breeder faces a final challenge -- naming the fruit.
但要是真想拥有新苹果的产权，育种人员还面临着一个终极挑战--给苹果起名字。
After a cultivar is patented, a breeder chooses a name for its trademark.
在一个果种取得专利后，育种人员会给它选一个名字来作为商标。
That final step grants them long-lasting rights over the apple and its clones.
完成这一步后才可以永远拥有这个苹果和它的复制果。
That name must be completely original, and the catchier, the better, of course.
这个名字必须是没人用过的名字，而且当然是越好记越有利。
With over 7,500 varieties and counting, that's why we have apples called Pink Lady, Sweet Tango, Kiku, and EverCrisp.
目前我们有7500多种苹果，而且这个数字还在增加，这就是为什么我们现在看到的苹果有像粉红佳人、绝美探戈、蜜酷、久脆果这样的名字。
The more we work with nature's bounty to breed new cultivars, the more creative and delectable these names will become.
如果我们能更好利用自然界中的丰富果类来育种，就能有更多具特色和更美味的苹果问世。