Apricots, cherries, and plums grow rapidly and often produce fruit in the first or second year—a joy for home orchards and a benefit to fruit breeders evaluating fruit for flavor, texture, and timing. University fruit breeders continue to investigate wild germplasm in breeding fruit plants that better resist cold-temperature injury. The fruit breeding program also evaluates varieties from other breeding programs around the world—apples, apricots, and pears from China; cherries and currants from Europe—looking for any fruit that may be adaptable to our region.