D.E.D survivors, finally a remedy?

[agg221]

Same genes but with multiple amounts of chromosomes. It's not something I have a huge understanding of either.

 

Humans are 'diploid' - men have an X and a Y (one from each parent), women have an X and an X (one from each parent). Sometimes, very rarely, either the egg or the sperm has two chromosomes. This then forms a 'triploid' child, i.e. three chromosomes. It's thought Mae West may have had XXX syndrome.

 

In plants, it tends to make them more vigorous, hence successful in out-competing their neighbours, but less fertile in terms of fertile fruiting bodies. The best known example is Bramley's Seedling, which is a triploid. It needs two pollinators, grows vigorously and crops very heavily as a result. Plants don't stop there - prunus avium (common cherry) is hexaploid (six chromosomes). This can lead to fertility incompatibility issues.

 

Not sure if this clarifies?

 

Alec

[janey]

Humans are 'diploid' - men have an X and a Y (one from each parent), women have an X and an X (one from each parent). Sometimes, very rarely, either the egg or the sperm has two chromosomes. This then forms a 'triploid' child, i.e. three chromosomes. It's thought Mae West may have had XXX syndrome.

 

In plants, it tends to make them more vigorous, hence successful in out-competing their neighbours, but less fertile in terms of fertile fruiting bodies. The best known example is Bramley's Seedling, which is a triploid. It needs two pollinators, grows vigorously and crops very heavily as a result. Plants don't stop there - prunus avium (common cherry) is hexaploid (six chromosomes). This can lead to fertility incompatibility issues.

 

Not sure if this clarifies?

 

Alec

 

Hugely.

 

Thanks

[agg221]

Are the survivors atypical and large specimen?

Cheers for the update on the situation in the UK.

 

Yes, very much so. There's one just up from me that's around 100ft tall, 30in diameter. It dropped its leaves very early last year, which is worrying, but it didn't do the classic DED branch-by-branch death, so I'm hopeful. There's also a row of half a dozen in the local town of larger diameter, one of which is still full height at a similar figure. There are three more in a row by the roadside about 5miles away, which look more like pollards, and another group of three and a further single tree about a mile on from that. Then another couple of miles on, where I work, there are a couple of decent specimens, a bit smaller but still nearly 2ft diameter. One of them is not doing too well but it's nothing to do with DED. I'm trying to persuade our site services people that they shouldn't have it felled, sadly with little success. Really it just needs aeration and mulching, and a bit of a reduction, but this doesn't fall into some people's way of thinking.

 

Alec

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Really it just needs aeration and mulching, and a bit of a reduction, but this doesn't fall into some people's way of thinking.

 

Alec

 

I know, frustrating isnt it.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

and why do we call it DED (dutch elm disease)?

 

I mean in the (A.T)current thinking, of being technically accurate and all, it should be Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, which is a very english elm issue!