Apple owes its origin to Kazakhstan

Websites of Central Asian countries say that it was from Kazakhstan that apple found its way across suitable corners of the globe. In the foothills of Tien Shan, on the border with China and Kyrgyzstan, one may encounter a Kazakh apple tree.

For apple lovers there is interesting information coming in from Oxford University, trying to trace the origin of the apple. Oxford University Researchers have negated the assumption that apple is a hybrid fruit and have claimed to have found the origin of the apple on earth.
   
The Malus sierversii. as it is botanically known, is the ancestor of almost all apples varieties around the world. Found in Kazakhistan in the foot hills of its border with China and Kyrgyzstan, this variety is being projected by researchers as the first ever variety of apple that existed in the world. The research findings portrays that this particular area of Kazakhstan used to be the birth place of all the apple varieties in the world.
 
The websites of Central Asian countries write that it was from here that, apple found its way across to the geographically suitable corners of the globe. In the foothills of Tien Shan, on the border with China and Kyrgyzstan, one may encounter a real Kazakh apple tree, Malus sierversii.
 
Oxford University researchers claimed to have discovered the birthplace of apples. According to Oxford biologist Barry Juniper, ‘the Garden of Eden’ was located in the wild orchards of Tien Shan in Kazakhstan. The researchers thus confirmed the assessment of British writer Christopher Robbins who, in his book, In Search of Kazakhstan, first cited this central Asian country as "the birthplace of apples and tulips."
 
The discovery of the British researchers comes as a surprise. Until now, it was assumed that apples were the hybrids of various fruits. According to the researchers, bears assisted in their spread, as they consumed the largest and sweetest fruits and then scattered the seeds elsewhere at the end of the digestive process. After the fruits were locally cultivated, they migrated to the west. At first, fruit orchards were scattered around the Persian Gulf and later, soldiers of the Roman legions brought apples to Europe, including Great Britain.
 
According to Juniper, author of The History of Apples, the ‘descendants’ of the ‘Garden of Eden’, the fruits are still growing in the wild orchards of Tien Shan. The biologist notes that long ago, real mixed fruit forests existed there, but now only a few such trees remain and can be found only with the help of experts.
 
Research, conducted on the basis of the DNA of British of varieties of Granny Smith and Cox's Orange Pippins, drew Oxford’s experts to the conclusion that the first edible sweet apples on the planet ripened in the mountainous areas of today's Kazakhstan (the Almaty region), at heights of more than 2000 meters, near the border with China.
 
During the Soviet era, the Aport apple, known throughout the world, was cultivated in these areas. According to Kazakhstan researcher Tatyana Salovaya, by the end of the last century, however, only 20 percent of the apple orchards remained on the slopes of Zailiysky Alatau. In the next 10 years, Kazakhstan scholars predict that another 300 hectares of orchards in Zailiysk and almost 100 hectares in Jungar Alatau may be lost.


Source: merinews.com

Publication date: 10/26/2009

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