ARS | Publication request: BREEDING FOR FRUIT QUALITY

Submitted to: Abstract of International Horticultural Congress
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 1, 2002
Publication Date: August 12, 2002
Citation: Callahan, A.M. 2002. Breeding for fruit quality. Abstract of International Horticultural Congress, XXVI International Hort Congress Proceedings, S12-075, pg S2.

Technical Abstract: Fruit breeding programs have many different goals, including disease resistance, cold tolerance, tree size, precocity and productivity. They all have in common the need to develop high quality fruit. Programs either insure that acceptable fruit quality is attained or they work to enhance the existing acceptable fruit quality. Fruits come in a wide spectrum of size, flavor, color, firmness, and texture. Quality is defined differently for each fruit species and consists of many attributes. For some species, high quality flesh texture is crisp while in others it is soft and melting. Some fruit require a balance of acidity and sweetness while quality in others is simply defined by the degree of sweetness. A survey of fruit quality traits across a variety of fruit species that are currently being improved will be presented with a concentration on texture, aroma/taste and volatiles and sugar/acid ratio. Commonalities and differences will be discussed in terms of improvement objectives for the various species. Data on the physiological and genetic basis for fruit quality traits will be presented.