CHERRY QUERY
Reading the question page in the July edition, I was puzzled by someone’s question regarding ‘self fertilising cherries’. I am a retired scientist and in biology self-fertilising is inbreeding and does not produce the best next generation.
Kate Mason, Barnsley
Yes, it might seem that being self-fertile could be a disadvantage to plants in some ways and very many have evolved to be self-sterile to avoid inbreeding. However, being self-fertile does not mean a plant cannot also cross-breed – in fact crops which are self-fertile, including cherries, often produce heavier yields if cross-pollinated by insects.
