ISHS Acta Horticulturae 484: Eucarpia Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics
INCREASING GENETIC DIVERSITY FOR APPLE BREEDING: A PRELIMINARY REPORT |
| Authors: | D. Noiton, M. Hofstee, P. Alspach, L. Brewer, C. Howard |
| Keywords: | Malus pumila, pest and disease resistance, tree and fruit characteristics |
| Abstract:
The cultivars ‘Cox's Orange Pippin’, ‘Red Delicious’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Jonathan’ have been extensively used in apple breeding. Greater genetic diversity is desirable for future development of innovative, market-driven cultivars. One strategy followed in New Zealand is to use recurrent selection procedures to develop a broad-based apple breeding population. Over the last 6 years, open-pollinated seeds of more than 500 primitive apple cultivars and wild species have been introduced into New Zealand. About 35,000 seedlings are planted out in replicated plots at three different sites. Preliminary results on tree and fruit characteristics show that this apple breeding population is a valuable source of genes for pest and disease resistance, and for novel fruit characteristics. | |
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