Understanding the Enzymes Involved in the Crispness Maintenance Trait of ‘Honeycrisp’ Apple and its Relatives
The primary focus of this research project is to study the activities of cell wall enzymes of the ‘Honeycrisp’ apple, its ancestors, and its descendants. I hypothesize that certain enzymes are related to the unique crispness maintenance trait of ‘Honeycrisp’, which it received from one or more ancestors and can be passed onto its descendants. Not all of the descendants will carry the crispness trait, so I expect that some will exhibit the cell wall enzyme activities that allow their fruit to maintain their crispness, while other descendents will not. The comparison between the crispness retention throughout the ripening process for the different species will help determine how the enzymes are inherited and whether they are exhibited in subsequent generations.