Genes Determine Quality of Fruit Genes Determine Quality of Fruit Genes that control factors such as size, color and shape determine the differences in fruit, says Zhang Kaichun of the Beijing Forestry and Fruit Plants Research Institute. And now that scientists have discovered how to detect different genes, farmers can hand over a twig to have its genes checked prior to planting. It works the same as a detective checking fingerprints. Once farmers know which trees are good and which are bad, they can discard the bad ones.
Farmers can even breed new varieties in accordance with their individual tastes.
In the past three years, tens of thousands of tests were carried out to determine the genetic features of fruit. Zhang showed a photo of a DNA-test and pointed to the shining lines on it, saying that the lines were genetic signs that tell us what a tree's fruit will be like. For example, the ordinary pear tree bears fruit after four years. But now it only takes a month to test the DNA from a tender leaf and a farmer will know everything about its fruit. By creating hybrids from trees with suitable genes, farmers can create whatever fruit trees they want.