Author
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Fazio, Gennaro |
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Mazzola, Mark |
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Submitted to: Acta Horticulture Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2004 Publication Date: 12/15/2004 Citation: Fazio, G., Mazzola, M. 2004. Marker assisted selection of apple rootstocks - prospects, benefits, and limitations.. XIth Eucarpia Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics. Acta Horticulturae. p. 663. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The prospects for using marker assisted selection (MAS) to develop new apple rootstocks are becoming more promising. Very little has been known of the heritability or the type of genetic inheritance of important apple rootstock traits such as precocity, dwarfing, and disease resistance. Using data from apple rootstock segregating populations in Geneva, NY, we are learning of the genetic inheritance of these traits. We are combining this knowledge with bulked segregant analysis to discover molecular markers linked to these traits when they fit a simple inheritance model and QTL mapping to discover genomic regions affecting quantitative characters. Recently an analysis of dwarfing in half sib populations of M.9 revealed its relatively simple inheritance. Another study found genetic relationships between apple rootstocks and replant disease antagonists. Molecular markers for these characters would be beneficial to apple rootstock breeding programs and would significantly reduce evaluation time and increase efficiency of the breeding program when compared to phenotypic selection. However, despite its potential benefits, MAS applied to apple rootstock breeding will likely be restricted to a limited set of traits and parents where data for segregating populations is available. |
