NUTRITIONAL ENHANCEMENT IN APPLE: IDENTIFICATION OF QTLS FOR FRUIT VITAMIN C CONTENT AND THEIR STABILITY OVER DIFFERENT PRODUCTION YEARS

Hard fruit breeding has traditionally focused on readily identifiable traits such as colour, taste, storage ability, etc.
However technological advances, combined with consumer concerns about the healthiness of our diet have shifted the focus of breeding programs to more ambitious targets, including, for example, improving the nutritional value of major foods.
Antioxidants such as phenolic compounds and vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid, L-AA) have major functions in both human and plant disease prevention and protection, but little is currently known about the mechanisms underlying the accumulation of these compounds in fruit.
Here we present an overview of recent work carried out in our laboratory aimed at identifying QTLs involved in the regulation of fruit vitamin C (L-AA) contents in apple (Malus x domestica), and the stability of these QTLs over 2 production years.
Results are discussed in terms of their potential applications for marker development and nutritional enhancement.

XII EUCARPIA Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics

M.W. Davey, J. Keulemans

vitamin C, antioxidants, QTL, molecular breeding, mutritional enhancement

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.814.100