Malus Germplasm

Conservation in Ireland

Dr. James Choiseul

Content

• Background

• Infrastructure

• Collections

• Characterisation

• Future developments

Apple related Irish words

Úll, or abhall = apple

(ool,ooal,owl, owle, avel)

Úllghort, or abhaillghort = orchard

baileullghort = orchard town

Cnocullgort = orchard hill

Apple Placenames

Aghowle

Aghowle

Ballyhooley

Oolagh Knockullart

Annahavil

Ballinoulart

Ballywhollart

Oola

Oulart

Tankardstown, Co. Limerick

Neolithic house at Tankardstown

• Found while digging for Limerick gas pipeline and published Gowen 1988

• Concentrated deposits of burnt animal bone in fill of foundation trench? Votive offerings? Hearth possibly in centre of house. Charred wheat, hazel nuts and crab apple pips found. C14 dates of 3938-3378 BC

Apple; uball cumrae – sweet

apple

Distinction being made between crab apples fíadubull –

wild apple and cultivated apples?

Between cookers and eating apples?

Crann cemchenóil – an apple tree of the same kindred

(e.g. different varieties known)

Legal status of apple trees: the Old

Irish tree list The Old Irish tree list:

1. airig fedo „nobles of the wood‟: daur „oak‟, coll „hazel‟, cuilenn „holly‟, ibar „yew‟, uinnius „ash‟, ochtach „Scots pine?', aball „apple-tree‟

2. aithig fedo „commoners of the wood‟: fern „alder‟, sail „willow‟, scé „whitehorn, hawthorn‟, cáerthann „rowan, mountain ash‟, beithe „birch‟, lem „elm‟, idath „wild cherry?„

3. fodla fedo „lower divisions of the wood‟: draigen „blackthorn‟, trom „elder, bore-tree‟, féorus „spindle-tree‟, findcholl „whitebeam?', caithne „arbutus, strawberry tree‟, crithach „aspen‟, crann fir „juniper?„

4. losa fedo „bushes of the wood‟: raith „bracken‟, rait „bog- myrtle‟, aiten „gorse, furze‟, dris „bramble, blackberry‟, fróech „heather‟, gilcach „broom?', spín „wild rose?'.

Fines for cutting down trees

• Fine for cutting down airig fedo (nobles of the wood) = 3 milk-giving cows

• Fines for cutting down aithig fedo (commoners of the wood) = 1 milk-giving cow

• Fine for cutting down apple tree (in lubgort) belonging to a chieftan (nemed) = 10 milk giving cows

• Fine for cutting down apple tree (in lubgort) belonging to a commoner

• = 2 ½ milk giving cows – 2 cows and 3-year old dry heifer

1 milk-giving cow = 48 cerc cen rún “hens without secrets = non-broody hens”

Monasterboice

High cross,

Collectors • 1. Dr. John George Dalkeith Lamb collected old apples

from 1945 to 1949 and established the UCD collection. Prof. E.J. Clarke maintained the collection until it was destroyed in1970. Repatriated in 1996. Now planted at UCD, Belfield, Dublin.

• 2. Mrs. Annie MacNiece began saving old Armagh apples in her garden in the late 1940s. Her son Peadar began collecting in1970. Established The Armagh Orchard Trust in 1995. Their collection is now housed in the walled garden at Loughgall.

• 3. Ms. Anita Hayes founded The Irish Seedsavers Assoc. in 1991. Originally in Carlow, now in Scariff, Co. Clare. Still actively collecting apples, cereals,vegetables, etc.vers Assoc.- Anita Hayes

Irish Seed

Savers

University

College

Dublin

Armagh

Orchard

Trust

Irish Apple Collections

UCD Collection

• In c. 1996 Prof. Michael Hennerty became

involved in the apple conservation project

• In 1997 the Lamb-Clarke Historical Irish

Apple Collection was established in UCD

• First characterisation exercise undertaken

Characterisation by Morphology • Fruit Characteristics

– Shape

– Skin Colour

– Basin

– Sepal

– Cavity

– Stalk

– Floral Tube

– Stamen position

– Pistil Point

– Core

– Core Lines

– Carpels

Additional Characteristics

• Maturity Date

• Flowering Dates

• Taste

• Provenance

Characterisation -Molecular

Aim

• Compare collections and eliminate duplication

• Compare Irish apple accessions with UK and Continental equivalents

Method

• Micro-satellite analysis (7-9)

• Undertaken in two batches

• Ireland/Sweden Co-operation

Findings

• Collection – Core collection of c. 80 cvs considered to be

indigenous

• Flowering – Main period April-May, early by international

standards

• Micro-satellite analysis – No regional clustering

– Very little replication within collection

– No two accessions identical

Comparison with other collections

Future

• Complete Micro-satellite work

• Publish book on old Irish Apples

Acknowledgement

• Prof Michael Hennerty, UCD

• Ms Anita Hayes, ISSA

• Prof Thomas Gallagher, UCD

• Dr Cathy Swift, MIC, Limerick