Articles
The effect of environment and canopy manipulation on the development of red flesh colour in apple
Article number
1366_27
Pages
233 – 242
Language
English
Abstract
Over the last 20 years, development of red-fleshed apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) has become a significant target for a number of commercial breeding programmes.
The importance of red-fleshed varieties is related to potential consumer demand for their novel appearance and perceived health benefits.
In apple, two phenotypes of red flesh are recognized.
Type 1 plants display red leaves and red fruit cortex throughout fruit development, but are prone to development of internal browning of fruit post-harvest.
Type 2 genotypes have green leaves, only develop red pigments in the fruit cortex in the later part of fruit development, and are generally less prone to internal browning.
However, the intensity and coverage of internal red colour in Type 2 fruit is often highly variable, and the conditions under which red colour develops are not well understood.
Sugars are required for anthocyanin synthesis.
Consequently, factors that improve the availability of carbohydrates to fruit during development may improve red colour.
On a Type 2 genotype, in three regions of New Zealand and over two seasons, we manipulated carbohydrate allocation to apple fruit through girdling and crop load management, and assessed fruit dry matter content and red colour expression at a season, region, and within-tree level.
Significant differences in dry matter content occurred within management, environmental and within-tree treatments, but red colour expression was more variable and differences less predictable.
Despite this, reasonable models could be developed for the relationship between dry matter content and red colour expression within seasons (R2=0.69-0.81) and across regions (R2=0.58). Consequently, dry matter content may provide a method of non-destructive estimation of internal red colour expression.
The importance of red-fleshed varieties is related to potential consumer demand for their novel appearance and perceived health benefits.
In apple, two phenotypes of red flesh are recognized.
Type 1 plants display red leaves and red fruit cortex throughout fruit development, but are prone to development of internal browning of fruit post-harvest.
Type 2 genotypes have green leaves, only develop red pigments in the fruit cortex in the later part of fruit development, and are generally less prone to internal browning.
However, the intensity and coverage of internal red colour in Type 2 fruit is often highly variable, and the conditions under which red colour develops are not well understood.
Sugars are required for anthocyanin synthesis.
Consequently, factors that improve the availability of carbohydrates to fruit during development may improve red colour.
On a Type 2 genotype, in three regions of New Zealand and over two seasons, we manipulated carbohydrate allocation to apple fruit through girdling and crop load management, and assessed fruit dry matter content and red colour expression at a season, region, and within-tree level.
Significant differences in dry matter content occurred within management, environmental and within-tree treatments, but red colour expression was more variable and differences less predictable.
Despite this, reasonable models could be developed for the relationship between dry matter content and red colour expression within seasons (R2=0.69-0.81) and across regions (R2=0.58). Consequently, dry matter content may provide a method of non-destructive estimation of internal red colour expression.
Authors
K.C. Breen, A. Tattersall, B. Jacques-Joseph, K. Colhoun, D. Hedderley, J.W. Johnston
Keywords
fruit development, anthocyanin pigments, dry matter concentration, crop load, girdling
Groups involved
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Temperate Tree Fruits
- Division Temperate Tree Nuts
- Division Tropical and Subtropical Fruit and Nuts
- Division Horticulture for Development
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
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