planting an apricot seed Zard Apricot Seedling (Bundle of 2) – Montana Fruit Trees

planting an apricot seed Zard Apricot Seedling (Bundle of 2) – Montana Fruit TreesOverview These are trees grown out from seed collected from Zard, a late blooming yellow fleshed apricot from Iran and perhaps Luke's all time favorite. Visit the Zard product page for more info on the parent tree from which these seedlings were grown. Why grow Zard Seedlings? Planting a seed does not reproduce a cultivar identicallyeach seedling is a new genotype. But in apricot, seedling populations are widely used as a practical way to discover

Overview

These are trees grown out from seed collected from Zard, a late blooming yellow fleshed apricot from Iran and perhaps Luke's all time favorite. 

Visit the Zard product page for more info on the parent tree from which these seedlings were grown.

Why grow Zard Seedlings?

Planting a seed does not reproduce a cultivar identically—each seedling is a new genotype. But in apricot, seedling populations are widely used as a practical way to discover late-blooming, high-quality trees and to broaden genetic diversity, including in regions where spring frost is the primary limiting factor. A large Iranian study explicitly selected late-blooming, high fruit-quality genotypes among 278 seedling-originated trees, demonstrating that seedling populations are a valid improvement pathway in apricot. 

Why apricot seedlings can be “closer to the mother tree” than apple seedlings

The key difference isn’t that apricot is “less heterozygous” (meaning genetically mixed from two parents), but that their mating systems differ in ways that change what you should expect from seeds.

Apple varieties generally need pollen from a different tree to produce fruit because apples have a genetic system that blocks most self-fertilization (called S-RNase–based self-incompatibility). As a result, apple seeds almost always come from cross-pollination, which leads to highly mixed genetics across cultivars.

Apricot also has a genetic system that can prevent self-fertilization, but many modern apricot varieties are self-fertile (often linked to the Sᶜ allele), meaning a single tree can still set fruit on its own. This varies by variety, but large surveys show self-fertility is common in cultivated apricot.

So in an open-pollinated seed lot from a self-fertile apricot, you can get a mix of:

• selfed seedlings (seed parent = pollen parent)

• outcrossed seedlings (pollen from another tree)

Selfing increases the chance that seedlings share more genes with the mother tree than in crops that must always cross-pollinate. This is basic genetics, and it’s why apricot seedlings can sometimes show more “family resemblance” than apple seedlings — without anything being guaranteed.

I think this is one reason apricot seedlings are often more horticulturally usable than apple seedlings, even though every seed is still its own genetic individual.

Why Zard is especially interesting as seed parent material

Breeding literature repeatedly highlights Central Asian / Iran-Caucasian apricot genetics for fruit quality and kernel traits, and documents how seedling populations helped form regional landraces. There's also been some research that introducing Central Asian genetics into breeding programs increases diversity and can produce meaningful gains in fruit quality, including higher Brix, within just a few generations.

Zard checks many of the key boxes for breeding apricots suited to cold climates: a high chilling requirement, late bloom, strong mid-winter hardiness (roughly down to –40°F), excellent flavor, and edible kernels.

Open-pollinated seedlings: what’s known and what isn’t

Certain: open-pollinated seedlings always have an unknown pollen parent. Even when the mother tree is self-fertile, cross-pollination can still happen, so a seed lot may contain both selfed and crossed seedlings.

Unknown without DNA testing: exactly which trees provided pollen, and how many seedlings came from selfing versus crossing.

The mother Zard tree was surrounded mainly by Prairie Province apricots (Westcot, Morden 604, Brookcot, Debbie’s Gold, Sunrise). Therefore, if crossing occurred, there is a good chance that those nearby trees were among the pollen donors. Still, this remains an inference unless confirmed by genetic testing.

Why these traits matter for cold-climate breeding

Across the literature, breeding priorities are consistent:

• Later bloom to reduce spring frost risk

• High fruit quality (including sugars / Brix)

• Kernel traits, including edible kernels

These traits are repeatedly identified as valuable within Central and Inner Asian apricot genetics.

In other words, a seed parent reported to combine late bloom tendencies, excellent flavor, and edible kernels makes scientific sense as breeding material,  even though no single seedling is guaranteed to inherit everything.

And I’ll add this from direct experience: this is the first population of Zard seedlings we’ve grown in Montana, so much more time will be needed to understand how these genetics express themselves here. What we’re offering isn’t a finished product — it’s living genetic material. Part of the value is in observing, selecting, and learning over years.