Advances in Japanese pear breeding in Japan

The Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) is one of the most widely grown fruit trees in Japan, and it has been used throughout Japan’s history. The commercial production of pears increased rapidly with the successive discoveries of the chance seedling cultivars ‘Chojuro’ and ‘Nijisseiki’ around 1890, and the development of new cultivars has continued since 1915. The late-maturing, leading cultivars ‘Niitaka’ and ‘Shinko’ were released during the initial breeding stage. Furthermore, systematic breeding by the Horticultural Research Station (currently, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NIFTS)) began in 1935, which mainly aimed to improve fruit quality by focusing on flesh texture and black spot disease resistance. To date, 22 cultivars have been released, including ‘Kosui’, ‘Hosui’, and ‘Akizuki’, which are current leading cultivars from the breeding program. Four induced mutant cultivars induced by gamma irradiation, which exhibit some resistance to black spot disease, were released from the Institute of Radiation Breeding. Among these cultivars, ‘Gold Nijisseiki’ has become a leading cultivar. Moreover, ‘Nansui’ from the Nagano prefectural institute breeding program was released, and it has also become a leading cultivar. Current breeding objectives at NIFTS mainly combine superior fruit quality with traits related to labor and cost reduction, multiple disease resistance, or self-compatibility. Regarding future breeding, marker-assisted selection for each trait, QTL analyses, genome-wide association studies, and genomic selection analyses are currently in progress.     

Screening fruit tree genetic resources in Belgium for disease resistance and other desirable characters

Summary The wide diversity of old fruit-tree cultivars originating or introduced into Belgium during the 18 ^th and 19 ^th centuries was collected as far as feasible over the last fifteen years at the State Plant Pathology Station in Gembloux. Out of the 2400 accessions now collected, one quarter was recovered from old public collections, and three quarters came from farms or gardens. The initial intention was to screen the material for disease resistance and other characters of agronomic interest with a view to using the best cultivars as breeding parents. However, as the collection developed, genetic resources conservation also became an objectiveper se. The collection presently contains 1150 apple, 850 pear and 300 plum accessions, and smaller numbers of other fruit species. Each accession is evaluated in an experimental orchard for at least ten years. In view of the growing public interest in old fruit-tree cultivars, the Plant Pathology Station has for several years been releasing to the nursery trade the better cultivars emerging from the evaluation, namely nine apple and four plum cultivars, and one peach cultivar. The principal features of the apple cultivars are presented in this paper. Since 1988, old apple and plum cultivars have been being used at the Station as parents in a breeding programme, with both controlled and open pollination. In some instances, old apple cultivars have also been crossed with a modern parent carrying the Vf gene for scab resistance. The preliminary observations on some of these seedlings are presented.     

Genomics of pear and other Rosaceae fruit trees

The family Rosaceae includes many economically important fruit trees, such as pear, apple, peach, cherry, quince, apricot, plum, raspberry, and loquat. Over the past few years, whole-genome sequences have been released for Chinese pear, European pear, apple, peach, Japanese apricot, and strawberry. These sequences help us to conduct functional and comparative genomics studies and to develop new cultivars with desirable traits by marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. These genomics resources also allow identification of evolutionary relationships in Rosaceae, development of genome-wide SNP and SSR markers, and construction of reference genetic linkage maps, which are available through the Genome Database for the Rosaceae website. Here, we review the recent advances in genomics studies and their practical applications for Rosaceae fruit trees, particularly pear, apple, peach, and cherry.     

果树辐射诱变育种研究进展

继实生选种和杂交育种后,辐射诱变育种也成为创造果树新种质的一个有效途径。通过辐射诱变,大大提高了果树基因突变频率,而且可以产生小量突变,获得常规育种难以获得的新种质。开展果树辐射诱变育种几十年来,国内外已经创造出许多的具有优良生物学性状和经济性状的果树新种质,辐射材料、诱变剂和诱变方法不断得到补充和改良,短枝型变异、早熟变异、抗性变异、无籽变异等辐射效应的研究也在逐渐深入地开展起来。同时,笔者认为果树辐射诱变育种与常规杂交育种、果树离体培养相结合是其今后发展的方向,辐射诱变育种和单倍体育种相结合在农作物育种上有诸多成功的例子,为其在果树育种上的应用也提供了有益的借鉴。     

Texture profiling of blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) during fruit development,ripening and storage

Blueberries are ‘soft fruit’, a name which underlies the impact that fruit texture plays in their marketability. Worldwide blueberry production has been increasing in the last years, and they are now the second most economically important soft fruit after strawberry. During pre- and postharvest ripening, fruit softening represents the most dramatic change, leading to important losses in quality during storage. To support the FEM breeding program toward the creation of new blueberry accessions with superior texture, we used a novel texture analyzer TAXTplus to improve the phenotyping resolution, a fundamental step for a more reliable and precise selection of the most suitable ideotypes. In this work change in the mechanical profile of the blueberry cultivar ‘Brigitta Blue’ was initially assessed during berry development, maturation and postharvest ripening, revealing important textural variations. In addition, this novel equipment was exploited to compare the fruit texture behavior at two specific stages, maturity and after postharvest cold storage, on a set of 49 different blueberry and hybrids cultivars and selections. A multivariate statistical approach, including principal component analysis, was employed to analyze the dataset related to the textural parameters, according to their performance. Finally a storage index, originally defined for apple fruit texture, was adopted to depict the different storage potential of a set of blueberry cultivars.     

Potato germplasm enhancement for resistance to biotic stresses at CIP. Conventional and biotechnology-assisted approaches using a wide range of Solanum species

Summary Potato genetic improvement has been facilitated using new knowledge of potato reproductive biology and new techniques. Many wild diploid species as well as landrace cultivars have been used in breeding at the diploid level, a strategy which is supported by 1) 2n gametes and 2) haploids from tetraploid cultivars. Different categories of wild species which have been under-utilized are now being exploited further in more systematic enhancement programmes using semi-conventional and biotechnological methods. Molecular maps of the potato genome are used actively to achieve marker-assisted introgression and improved selection among the germplasm collections to facilitate the use of valuable wild genetic resources. As an alternative method to incorporate a high level of fesistance, genetic engineering has been employed to facilitate the initial breeding process using various gene constructs for controlling major biotic stresses in the world.     

Venturia inaequalis resistance in local Spanish cider apple germplasm under controlled and field conditions

Host resistance is a key method for the integrated management of apple scab caused by Venturia inaequalis, which is one of the most important diseases of apple. Artificial inoculation of 92 cider apple cultivars with a mixed inoculum of V. inaequalis identified 19 weakly resistant and 19 resistant cultivars. Twelve of these resistant cultivars were previously classified as having low susceptibility to fire blight, and four of them showed complete or weak resistance to races (1), (1, 6) and (6, 7, 13) of V. inaequalis. The analysis of a selection of 72 cultivars for 6 years under field conditions identified 14 cultivars that were classified as resistant to apple scab under high disease pressure involving one to six Mills periods of severe risk of infection each year. Eight out of these 14 cultivars previously showed high levels of resistance to fire blight, which would allow the incorporation of genetic resistance in the integrated production of cider apples in Spain through their use in breeding programs.     

Utilization of genetic resources for the introduction and adaptation of exotic vegetable crops: The case of pepino (Solanum muricatum)

Summary Pepino (Solanum muricatum), a vegetatively propagated plant from the Andean region used for its edible fruits, has been identified as a potential crop for greenhouse cultivation in Mediterranean regions. However, attempts for introducing it have been unsuccessful, either because of the low yield, poor fruit quality, or both. Screening of germplasm under Mediterranean conditions showed that sources of variation for high yield existed in the cultivated genepool and that wild species S. caripense and S. tabanoense could contribute to a considerable improvement of soluble solids content (SSC) of pepino. Progenies obtained after crossing genetically distant (AFLP-based) parental clones were heterotic for yield, and allowed the selection of clones with an improved combination of yield and SSC. As a result of this intraspecific programme, two new improved cultivars (‘Turia’ and ‘Valencia’), which outperform the rest of cultivars available, have been selected for cultivation in Mediterranean conditions. The interspecific programme involved the selection of clones with high yield and SSC in backcross generations. The results show that introgression of genes from the wild species can contribute to improve the SSC of pepino. The backcross programme is in an advanced stage and new cultivars derived from the interspecific crosses are expected to be released in a near future. New prospects for the future in pepino breeding include the genetic transformation, the establishment of a genetic map, and the use of the genomic information from related Solanaceae important crops. All the information obtained is illustrative for the breeding for adaptation of vegetatively propagated crops.     

Pigeonpea improvement: An amalgam of breeding and genomic research

In the past five decades, constant research has been directed towards yield improvement in pigeonpea resulting in the deployment of several commercially acceptable cultivars in India. Though, the genesis of hybrid technology, the biggest breakthrough, enigma of stagnant productivity still remains unsolved. To sort this productivity disparity, genomic research along with conventional breeding was successfully initiated at ICRISAT. It endowed ample genomic resource providing insight in the pigeonpea genome combating production constraints in a precise and speedy manner. The availability of the draft genome sequence with a large‐scale marker resource, oriented the research towards trait mapping for flowering time, determinacy, fertility restoration, yield attributing traits and photo‐insensitivity. Defined core and mini‐core collection, still eased the pigeonpea breeding being accessible for existing genetic diversity and developing stress resistance. Modern genomic tools like next‐generation sequencing, genome‐wide selection helping in the appraisal of selection efficiency is leading towards next‐generation breeding, an awaited milestone in pigeonpea genetic enhancement. This paper emphasizes the ongoing genetic improvement in pigeonpea with an amalgam of conventional breeding as well as genomic research.     

Crop breeding for salt tolerance in the era of molecular markers and marker‐assisted selection

Crop salt tolerance (ST) is a complex trait affected by numerous genetic and non‐genetic factors, and its improvement via conventional breeding has been slow. Recent advancements in biotechnology have led to the development of more efficient selection tools to substitute phenotype‐based selection systems. Molecular markers associated with genes or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting important traits are identified, which could be used as indirect selection criteria to improve breeding efficiency via marker‐assisted selection (MAS). While the use of MAS for manipulating simple traits has been streamlined in many plant breeding programmes, MAS for improving complex traits seems to be at infancy stage. Numerous QTLs have been reported for ST in different crop species; however, few commercial cultivars or breeding lines with improved ST have been developed via MAS. We review genes and QTLs identified with positive effects on ST in different plant species and discuss the prospects for developing crop ST via MAS. With the current advances in marker technology and a better handling of genotype by environment interaction effects, the utility of MAS for breeding for ST will gain momentum.     

Integrated breeding approaches for improving drought and heat adaptation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a dry season food legume largely grown on residual soil moisture after the rainy season. The crop often experiences moisture stress towards end of the crop season (terminal drought). The crop may also face heat stress at the reproductive stage if sowing is delayed. The breeding approaches for improving adaptation to these stresses include the development of varieties with early maturity and enhanced abiotic stress tolerance. Several varieties with improved drought tolerance have been developed by selecting for grain yield under moisture stress conditions. Similarly, selection for pod set in the crop subjected to heat stress during reproductive stage has helped in the development of heat‐tolerant varieties. A genomic region, called QTL‐hotspot, controlling several drought tolerance‐related traits has been introgressed into several popular cultivars using marker‐assisted backcrossing (MABC), and introgression lines giving significantly higher yield than the popular cultivars have been identified. Multiparent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) approach has been found promising in enhancing genetic recombination and developing lines with enhanced tolerance to terminal drought and heat stresses.     

Gene banks and their contribution to the breeding of disease resistant cultivars

Summary Genetic variation in crop species and their wild relatives holds the key to the successful breeding of improved crop cultivars with durable resistance to disease. The importance of the conservation, characterization and utilization of plant genetic resources nationally and internationally has been recognised, though much remains to be done. Gene banks have now been established in many countries and at most of the international crop research centres. Cell and tissue culture techniques and biotechnological aids have done much to ensure the creation and safe transfer of healthy germplasm around the world. Multidisciplinary, international research and collaboration are essential to the successful breeding of improved disease resistant cultivars. Examples are given of the effective use of genetic resources in breeding disease resistant cultivars of a number of crops, including cotton, rice, potatoes and pearl millet.     

Identification of marker alleles linked to fire blight resistance QTLs in apple genotypes

Molecular marker analysis can be an effective tool when searching for new fire blight resistance donors. It can speed up the breeding process as well, even though many of the available markers linked to fire blight resistance QTLs have not yet been tested by screening a large number of cultivars. The aim of this study was to search for alternate sources of the three major QTLs of fire blight resistance; FBF7, FB_MR5 and FB_E, as well as to test the efficiency of some markers linked to minor QTLs. Altogether, nine primer pairs were used on 77 genotypes including new Hungarian cultivars and old apple cultivars from the Carpathian basin. Several marker alleles of FB resistance QTLs have been detected in the screened genotypes, most importantly the alleles coupling with FB_MR5 in the old cultivars ‘Kéresi muskotály’, ‘Szabadkai szercsika’ and ‘Batul’. We propose these cultivars as the first available resistance donors of FB_MR5 instead of the crabapple Malus × robusta 5. The results also bring new information regarding the resistance alleles of new Hungarian cultivars and selections.     

Breeding soybeans with resistance to soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi)

Soybean rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi, continues to be a global threat to soybean production, decreasing productivity and increasing the pesticide burden of cropping systems. However, breeders now have access to resistance genes that map to at least seven independent loci which can help protect crops against soybean rust infection. Efficient greenhouse screening protocols have been developed, and low‐cost SNP genotyping technology is available for marker‐assisted selection and backcrossing of resistance to Phakopsora pachyrhizi (Rpp) loci. Soybean breeders can now employ these technologies for the development of high‐yielding soybean cultivars with two, three, or even four pyramided Rpp genes. Such cultivars should provide resistance against the most virulent P. pachyrhizi populations and would be of great help to both large‐scale growers in the Americas and subsistence farmers in developing countries. We hope that a better understanding of the history and unique characteristics of P. pachyrhizi, the discovery of Rpp resistance alleles and the latest molecular breeding techniques will empower breeders across the globe to develop cultivars with durable resistance.     

水稻抗稻瘟病基因Pi35功能性分子标记的开发及其应用

稻瘟病是水稻生产上的严重病害,利用抗病基因培育抗病品种是控制稻瘟病最经济而有效的措施。在日本,稻瘟病部分抗性基因Pi35作为广谱持久抗性基因已广泛应用于水稻育种和稻瘟病防治实践。但是,Pi35基因在我国的资源和品种中的分布情况不清,制约了这一重要基因在我国育种实践中的应用,急需开发实用的分子标记,并系统研究该基因在我国的品种及其亲本中的分布情况,为稻瘟病抗性育种服务。本研究通过比对抗、感品种中Pi35等位基因序列,发现一个能检测抗、感病性差异的特异SNP(3780 T),并据此开发了Pi35基因的功能性分子标记Pi35-d CAPS。利用该标记检测了抗源藤系138的衍生品种10份、微核心种质204份和主栽品种67份,结合测序鉴定,确认5份藤系138衍生品种(垦鉴稻3号、垦鉴稻6号、垦稻8号、绥粳3号和龙粳34)及2份微核心种质(粳稻品种抚宁紫皮粳子和籼稻品种细麻线)携带Pi35基因。本研究结果为通过分子育种手段高效利用Pi35基因改良我国水稻(特别是籼稻)品种的稻瘟病抗性提供了手段。     

Screening techniques and sources of resistance against parasitic weeds in grain legumes

Summary A number of parasitic plants have become weeds, posing severe constraints to major crops including grain legumes. Breeding for resistance is acknowledged as the major component of an integrated control strategy. However, resistance against most parasitic weeds is difficult to access, scarce, of complex nature and of low heritability, making breeding for resistance a difficult task. As an exception, resistance against Striga gesnerioides based on a single gene has been identified in cowpea and widely exploited in breeding. In other crops, only moderate to low levels of incomplete resistance of complex inheritance against Orobanche species has been identified. This has made selection more difficult and has slowed down the breeding process, but the quantitative resistance resulting from tedious selection procedures has resulted in the release of cultivars with useful levels of incomplete resistance. Resistance is a multicomponent event, being the result of a battery of escape factors or resistance mechanisms acting at different levels of the infection process. Understanding these will help to detect existing genetic diversity for mechanisms that hamper infection. The combination of different resistance mechanisms into a single cultivar will provide durable resistance in the field. This can be facilitated by the use of in vitro screening methods that allow highly heritable resistance components to be identified, together with adoption of marker-assisted selection techniques.     

Breeding for resistance to rhizomania in sugar beet: A review

Currently rhizomania is the most important disease in sugar beet worldwide, and attack can lead to serious yield losses. The disease is caused by beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) that is transmitted by the soil-borne fungus Polymyxa betae. Breeding sugar beet cultivars with resistance to rhizomania is regarded as the most appropriate way to enable continued production of this crop in BNYVV-infested fields and also to slow the spread of the disease. Breeding for resistance started with selection by scoring disease symptoms in field experiments. The development of non-destructive greenhouse tests, with determination of the virus concentration in rootlets using ELISA, has greatly improved the efficiency of selection. In this paper the impact of scientific research on the progress in breeding cultivars with resistance to rhizomania is reviewed. This includes the distribution, composition, and pathogenicity of the virus, the sources of resistance to virus and vector, the genetics of virus resistance, progress with breeding methods, and the use of molecular markers and pathogen-derived resistance. The yields and quality characteristics of recently introduced resistant cultivars now equal those of the commercial susceptible cultivars. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

扬稻系列品种（组合）特性、系谱、育种方法和推广应用分析

通过对31个扬稻系列品种（组合）特性、系谱组成、育种方法和推广应用的综合分析,阐明了扬稻系列品种(组合)选育的基本经验： 根据生产需求和发展形势,分析主客观条件,抓住主要矛盾,寻求切入点,确定“四稻并举、总体提高、重点突破”的育种策略,运用综合育种方法,不断推出适用品种。分析扬稻系列品种(组合)系谱,骨干亲本集中。如常规籼稻基础亲本为BG90-2;杂交籼稻注重籼粳亚种优势利用,育成的恢复系中百分之八十融入广亲和材料02428的血缘。常规籼稻选育采用“搭梯上楼”的育种方法,以基础亲本为主干,融合优良性状,提高综合性能;籼型恢复系选育则采用优势叠加的方法,实行优势互补,完善品种性能。根据“个体看匀称、群体看协调、机能看熟相”的多年育种经验,在不同世代对茎系、叶系、穗系进行各有侧重的选择。建立定型品系的小群体(10m2)鉴定圃,构建选择群体,进行综合性状的评估鉴定,提高选择的准确性。对杂交籼稻组合的选育,建立两个程序：对恢复系进行严格鉴定筛选,主要性状超过主栽杂交组合;对杂交组合进行大量测配鉴定,综合比较优势。对育成品种进行后续加工,利用剩余变异,改造种性缺陷。利用扬州与海南两个大跨度的生态区进行多世代适应性选择。 在品种推广应用中,组织多学科、多区域、多层次、多领域协作,总体规划,分步实施,育、繁、推一体化,试验、示范、推广相结合,以点带面,逐步推开,实行跟踪服务,并注重信息反馈,着重抓了6方面工作：①多点示范,扩大应用范围。②配套技术同步进行,提高增产效益。③加强科普,提高技术普及率。④加强提纯复壮,提供优良种源。⑤建立产业链式开发技术体系。⑥强化知识产权保护,规范种子市场秩序。     

Genomics-assisted breeding in fruit trees

Recent advancements in genomic analysis technologies have opened up new avenues to promote the efficiency of plant breeding. Novel genomics-based approaches for plant breeding and genetics research, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS), are useful, especially in fruit tree breeding. The breeding of fruit trees is hindered by their long generation time, large plant size, long juvenile phase, and the necessity to wait for the physiological maturity of the plant to assess the marketable product (fruit). In this article, we describe the potential of genomics-assisted breeding, which uses these novel genomics-based approaches, to break through these barriers in conventional fruit tree breeding. We first introduce the molecular marker systems and whole-genome sequence data that are available for fruit tree breeding. Next we introduce the statistical methods for biparental linkage and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping as well as GWAS and GS. We then review QTL mapping, GWAS, and GS studies conducted on fruit trees. We also review novel technologies for rapid generation advancement. Finally, we note the future prospects of genomics-assisted fruit tree breeding and problems that need to be overcome in the breeding.