Folks are always in a hurry. Grafting (and, even genetic engineering)
are just signs of impatience as much as anything. It takes a long time
for an apple breeder to raise trees to fruit-bearing age; grafting is a
shortcut. People who want a mixture of varieties on the same tree
(because of limited space) have little choice but to graft. Similarly, some
good-tasting varieties don't make very good root stock, or one may want
dwarf or semi-dwarf characteristics not inherent to the fruit stock.
Maybe someday I'll be proven wrong, but I'd be surprised if there were
any appreciable nutritional difference (if, indeed, any at all) between fruit
from a grafted tree and fruit from a tree that is genetically homogeneous
throughout the whole tree (eg, seed-grown, layered, tissue culture,
cuttings or whatever).
BOB
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