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Think of your favourite variety of apple. You can probably imagine it to the point of tasting it on your tongue: a crisp Golden Delicious, a juicy McIntosh, a tart Gravenstein. Now, try the same with your favourite wine: Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir.

These fruit cultivars you’ve enjoyed for years have been around for a long, long time.

“We’ve been drinking Pinot Noir for 1,000 years, for example, and it hasn’t really changed,” says Sean Myles, an internationally renowned fruit researcher in Dal’s Faculty of Agriculture. “We have a massive attachment to particular grapes and apples, way more than in other crops, and this leads to heritage varieties.”

We like what we like; what’s wrong with that?

“Pathogens continue to evolve and if our crops don’t, that’s a huge problem,” explains Dr. Myles, noting that diseases and pests are consistently becoming stronger, more threatening.

“Ramping up the arms race in agro-chemical weaponry isn’t the answer. Easier, more efficient breeding could be.”

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