Who is this contributor and what has he/she done with Xeni?!? There's something seriously fuckin' wrong in the universe when ANY piece from Xeni (or Ms. Weinstein or Rosenburg or whatever her real name is) doesn't focus on something to do with nudity, shit, fucking, drugs, obscenity for obscenity's sake, pissing, pissing on religion in particular, homosexuality, pedophilia, or anything generally gratuitous or revealing any preoccupation suggestive of stalled adolescent shock-for-attention. Seriously, I'm majorly disappointed about this subject being about none of the above and am considering not letting my kids visit this site anymore!

I read various things on the two websites linked from BB, I'm not sure if I read "her statement".

I don't understand what's "interesting" about what happens after the trees grow. People talk about the fact that identical trees in different circumstances grow differently? Is that it?

I suspect the result is going to be "we planted genetically identical trees in different places; they grew differently".

that's the premise. it's what happens afterwards that's interesting. read her statement

Virtually every commercial fruit orchard in Noth America contains genetically identical trees. In apples, for instance, the M.9 or M.26 rootstocks are commonly used, which have been clonally propagated from the original plants for at lkeast the last 30 years. To these roots, genetically identical grafts of other varieties (i.e. McIntosh, Gala, Mutsu, etc.) are attached. They are, therefore, not only "clones" (evil) but also "frankenfoods" (so evil). Run!

Nothing artificial is needed to produce cloned trees; almost all redwoods and aspens are clones (sprouting from roots or burls of other trees).

I believe navel oranges are also reproduced asexually; I'm not sure if it's via grafting, or something more like true cloning.

Also, aren't some varieties of lawn grass (zoysia, St. Augustine) propagated via cuttings instead of seeding?

Some animal research is done using genetically very homogenous lineages; for example, there are varieties of lab mice that have been inbred for many generations to the point where pretty nearly all visible genetic variation has been eliminated. Not quite clones, but pretty close.

I suspect the result is going to be "we planted genetically identical trees in different places; they grew differently".

Aren't all bananas in the world cloned from like 2 plants?

Um, did this person just find out that you can clone plants?
Almost all plants grown for fruit, from avocados to raspberries are clones.

Pretty cool test of nature vs. nurture!