I will chime in here since I know a little about it. First, Dovyalis seeds will remain viable for 24+ months if properly cleaned and dried and stored, according to:
https://crfg.org/home/library/tidbits/growing-rare-fruit-from-seed/ but the problem is that properly cleaning these small seeds is very tedious and time-consuming, which is likely why they are not often found for sale. I wish I knew an easy way.
I had a volunteer seedling growing in my back yard, and since my only true hybrid is in the front yard, this plant could only have been a seedling planted by animals that were browsing the mother plant. It was right on the fence line so it didn't especially bother me. The fruit that it produced was, as far as I could tell, the same as the parent plant. There was no discernible difference in size, shape, color, flavor, or other attribute that I was able to notice. So such could be a general rule, or this specimen could have been an exception to the rule, I have no way of knowing. Its probably reasonable to expect some variability in the fruits of seedlings.
One thing which probably is a general rule, the seedlings will be much more thorny than the parent plant, although there may be some variability in this also. I have pulled out many small seedlings around the mother plant and they all were very thorny. I have read that seedlings start out being thorny and then often 'grow out of it' as they age.
While its true that rooted cuttings are a genuine clone of the parent, and are the recommended propagation method, and will tend to fruit more quickly than a seedling, the seedlings of this tend to grow pretty damn fast, and may well fruit in the second year if they are happy. So not a lot of time is lost waiting for what may ultimately turn out to be inferior fruit.
Another thing I've read is that a seedling may not be self-compatible, and also that male and female flowers may not occur on the same plant. Again, there may be variability in that aspect as well. I have no input on that, but it is worth mention and consideration.
One other thing, the seedling plant on the chainlink fence grew straight and tall, much more like a tree than a bush. I never did trim it or prune it in any way, so that habit could likely have been changed. However, the parent plant has not really been trained or pruned either, and it is very much of a bush, wider than it is tall, with many branches and not just a main trunk like its offspring.
