Researchers' night uncovered how apple trees communicate that they suffer from pests and diseases

This year’s Researchers’ Night took place on 25 September at the National Museum of Agriculture in Prague and was dedicated to the theme of Communication. This popular science event introduced visitors to the many different ways in which information is communicated in nature, agriculture, and science.

We presented our apple breeding program and explained how apple trees communicate to us that they are suffering from physiological disorders, diseases, or pests, as well as how we, as breeders, take resistance to these problems into account in our breeding work.

Naturally, no visit to our stand would have been complete without a tasting of some of our promising new selections. The biggest surprise for children and adults alike, however, was undoubtedly our red-fleshed apple varieties, which have also become an important focus of our breeding program in recent years.