Genetika 2015 Volume 47, Issue 3, Pages: 993-1011
https://doi.org/10.2298/GENSR1503993D
Full text ( 711 KB)
Cited by
Investigation of wild species potential to increase genetic diversity useful for apple breeding
Dan Catalina (University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Sestras Adriana F. (University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Bozdog Calin (University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania + Fruit Research Station, Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Sestras Radu E. (University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
The potential of testing new apple cultivars and the possibility to induce
valuable traits is directly dependent on the availability of sufficient
genetic diversity, while apple breeding has narrowed the genetic ground of
commercial cultivars. Wild species were studied in regard to their influence
upon progenies and their capacity to enlarge apple genetic diversity. The
interspecific seedlings were framed in five biparental mating (paired
crosses), in which Malus species were crossed with different cultivars,
obtaining half-sib families. The number of F1 progenies per combination
varied from 31 (Cluj 218/2 × M. floribunda) up to 142 (Reinette Baumann × M.
floribunda), with a total of 1650 hybrids F1. The influences upon vigour and
juvenile period and possible correlation among fruit size and taste were
analyzed. Juvenile period varied from 6.00 (M. zumi × Jonathan) to 9.31 years
(Cluj 218/2 × M. floribunda). Data based on correlation coefficient
illustrated that the fructification year was not influenced by the vigour of
trees. The highest value of correlation for fruit’s size and taste was
obtained among M. coronaria hybrids. This result might suggest that once the
fruit are larger, there is a high chance the taste is also more appreciative
and fruit quality for mouth feels increase. Depending on the parental
formula, additive effects may be inferior compared to genetic effects of
dominance and epistasis. Although M. zumi and M. floribunda achieved the same
genetic gain (0.31), M. zumi had a higher expected selection response for
fruit size. The difficulty of obtaining seedlings with tasty and large fruit
when wild Malus species are used as genitors is resulting from the values of
expected selection response data, but in the same time results confirm that
wild Malus species are suitable resources for genetic variability, both for
dessert and ornamental apple cultivars.
Keywords: crabapple, expected selection response, genetic gain, genotype, heritability, hybridization, Malus wild species, seedlings