The New Zealand apple genome mapping project

Summary This project was initiated three years ago to support the New Zealand apple breeding programme at HortResearch and is funded by both the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board. Our initial goal is to construct a linkage map comprising RFLP, RAPD and isoenzyme markers as well as characters of importance to our breeders and this will enable the breeders to use marker assisted selection to identify the most promising seedlings within progeny populations at an early age. Characters of interest in the shorter term include resistances to scab, powdery mildew, woolly apple aphid and silver leaf, and in the longer term more complex traits such as early and late fruit maturity, fruit quality characters, low temperature tolerance and rootstock influences such as dwarfing and precocity are under consideration. We are currently developing long-term plans for isolation of apple genes in association with other molecular biologists in Hort Research. We have used a cDNA library from apple flesh as a prolific source of RFLP probes and detect their hybridization to Southern blots using a chemiluminescent method. We have screened our mapping line of seedlings for more than 160 markers so far (1/3 RFLP, 2/3 RAPD). Detection of in situ hybridization of key RFLP probes to metaphase chromosome preparations for the purpose of associating marker linkage groups with physical chromosomes is by a digoxygenin or biotin linked immunoassay. The project has collaborative links to apple genome mapping projects in America and Europe.     

新西兰红梨研究进展

新西兰红梨是红梨中的优良品系,综合性状优良,市场前景广阔,具有较高的栽培推广价值。以‘满天红’、‘美人酥’、‘红酥脆’3个红梨品种为主要对象,针对生产上存在的采前落果严重、着色不良等问题,从着色基础理论研究,果实中营养元素含量测定研究,重金属胁迫对新西兰红梨影响研究,栽培技术研究4方面综述了新西兰红梨研究进展的有关情况,讨论了研究进展的重大意义。