Articles
Utilising genotypic and phenotypic resources in blueberries to identify factors underlying resilience, stress tolerance and fruit quality
Article number
1440_18
Pages
129 – 136
Language
English
Abstract
The blueberry industry is a growth sector where sales of fresh produce have steadily been increasing.
To meet demands, blueberry breeding programs have employed cutting-edge technologies to enable efficient selection and maximise genetic gain.
The adoption of novel tools and techniques promotes sustainability and resilience in production.
Whilst the sector is buoyant, production costs continue to increase while yields and quality are beginning to plateau.
New cultivars must have larger and better-displayed fruit to increase picking speeds and keep harvest costs viable, be of superior quality with a longer shelf-life, and be produced more sustainably with minimal chemical applications.
Concerns over the availability of primary resources mean the future cultivars will need to be more resource efficient, as well as being higher yielding, high quality, and resistant to biotic pressures.
The BreedingValue project, supported by funding from the European Union, Pre-breeding strategies for obtaining new resilient and added value berries, aims to provide knowledge and tools for the use of genetic resources and pre-breeding material.
This project focuses on characterizing a wide range of plant material, including wild species, historical and modern cultivars, pre-breeding material, and model populations.
We have utilised SeqSNP genotyping by sequencing technologies to genotype over 700 unique blueberry genotypes and link identified genetic variations to key phenotypic traits.
Our phenotyping platform has utilised hyperspectral imaging technology to obtain spectral reflectance of plant leaves which we have linked to plant stress resilience as well as extracting spectrum from fruit which can be linked to fruit quality traits.
We have also carried out more traditional phenotyping techniques for measuring fruit yield and quality.
Our focus is on developing cultivars that are resilient to climate change and adaptable to different cropping systems, with an emphasis on sustainability and resilience in breeding strategies.
To meet demands, blueberry breeding programs have employed cutting-edge technologies to enable efficient selection and maximise genetic gain.
The adoption of novel tools and techniques promotes sustainability and resilience in production.
Whilst the sector is buoyant, production costs continue to increase while yields and quality are beginning to plateau.
New cultivars must have larger and better-displayed fruit to increase picking speeds and keep harvest costs viable, be of superior quality with a longer shelf-life, and be produced more sustainably with minimal chemical applications.
Concerns over the availability of primary resources mean the future cultivars will need to be more resource efficient, as well as being higher yielding, high quality, and resistant to biotic pressures.
The BreedingValue project, supported by funding from the European Union, Pre-breeding strategies for obtaining new resilient and added value berries, aims to provide knowledge and tools for the use of genetic resources and pre-breeding material.
This project focuses on characterizing a wide range of plant material, including wild species, historical and modern cultivars, pre-breeding material, and model populations.
We have utilised SeqSNP genotyping by sequencing technologies to genotype over 700 unique blueberry genotypes and link identified genetic variations to key phenotypic traits.
Our phenotyping platform has utilised hyperspectral imaging technology to obtain spectral reflectance of plant leaves which we have linked to plant stress resilience as well as extracting spectrum from fruit which can be linked to fruit quality traits.
We have also carried out more traditional phenotyping techniques for measuring fruit yield and quality.
Our focus is on developing cultivars that are resilient to climate change and adaptable to different cropping systems, with an emphasis on sustainability and resilience in breeding strategies.
Publication
Authors
S. McCallum, D. Williams, V. Montano
Keywords
hyperspectral, spectral reflectance, climate change, SeqSNP, Brix, NDVI
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