Articles
Recent progress of apple breeding at NARO in Morioka, Japan
Article number
1412_29
Pages
193 – 198
Language
English
Abstract
Current Japanese apple production faces two challenges: pathogen outbreak especially apple scab and labor shortage.
To address these issues, there is a need for cultivars that exhibit high fruit quality, resistance to major diseases, require less labor, are easy-to-manage, and boast high productivity.
The systematic scab resistance breeding at NARO began in the 1980s utilizing materials introduced from abroad carrying Rvi6. By the 2010s, selections from their descendants had significantly improved fruit quality, reaching comparability with major cultivars.
Consequently, they underwent the national trial.
Similarly, columnar apple breeding at NARO began in 1980s.
By the 2010s, a selection (Morioka 74), a great-great-grandchild of the original ‘McIntosh Wijcik’ was subjected to the national trial, and will be registered as a new cultivar in the 2020s.
Morioka 74 will be the first columnar cultivar that satisfies Japanese consumers and market demands for fruit quality.
DNA markers and relational database tools have been developed and implemented into the breeding program in order to perform efficient selection of high-fruit-quality seedlings.
These innovations aim to enhance the profitability and sustainability of apple cultivation thereby motivating both existing growers and new entrants to engage in apple cultivation.
To address these issues, there is a need for cultivars that exhibit high fruit quality, resistance to major diseases, require less labor, are easy-to-manage, and boast high productivity.
The systematic scab resistance breeding at NARO began in the 1980s utilizing materials introduced from abroad carrying Rvi6. By the 2010s, selections from their descendants had significantly improved fruit quality, reaching comparability with major cultivars.
Consequently, they underwent the national trial.
Similarly, columnar apple breeding at NARO began in 1980s.
By the 2010s, a selection (Morioka 74), a great-great-grandchild of the original ‘McIntosh Wijcik’ was subjected to the national trial, and will be registered as a new cultivar in the 2020s.
Morioka 74 will be the first columnar cultivar that satisfies Japanese consumers and market demands for fruit quality.
DNA markers and relational database tools have been developed and implemented into the breeding program in order to perform efficient selection of high-fruit-quality seedlings.
These innovations aim to enhance the profitability and sustainability of apple cultivation thereby motivating both existing growers and new entrants to engage in apple cultivation.
Authors
S. Moriya, T. Shimizu, A. Hori, Y. Sawamura, H. Nesumi
Keywords
fruit quality, database, DNA marker, columnar tree shape, scab resistance
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