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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Geneva, New York » Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU) » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #240876
Title: The distribution of wild apple germplasm in Northwest China and their potential application to the apple rootstock breeding

Author
item WAN, YIZHEN - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item LI, DAN - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item ZHAO, ZHENGYANG - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item MEI, LIXIN - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item Schwaninger, Heidi
item HAN, MINGYU - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item Fazio, Gennaro

Submitted to: Acta Horticulturae
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2010
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: China is one of the major gene centers of Malus species with the origination of more than 25 species. The Northwest China includes the three provinces of ‘Shaanxi’, ‘Gansu’ and ‘Qinghai’ and the two autonomies of ‘the Ningxia Huis’ and ‘the Xinjiang Uighur’. It contains an unusually high diverse of wild apple germplasm resources. Sixteen Malus species were found in this district. The species and the! ecotypes around the Qinling Mountains are richer, accounting for 80% of those in the Northwest China (65% of those of the overall China). Among 16 species, the ecotypes of M. baccata were most abundant and they were mainly found in the moist conditions. M. sieversii mostly distribute in the valley around the Tianshan Mountains with its central distribution areas of the counties of ‘Yili’, ‘Gongliu’ and ‘Xinyuan’ in Xinjiang covering the area of 14,000 hectares. The wild Malus species of China are differentiated and adapted to local climates. Chinese wild Malus has been used for rootstocks for a long time in China. Among them, the seedlings of M. sieversii, M. baccata, M. prunifolia are widely used for rootstocks. However, it is important to make the additional effort to incorporate the desirable genes in this germplasm into apple dwarfing rootstocks. We hope that this review familiarizes more researchers with the distribution of the wild apples of China and will lead to more efficient collection and informed development of this germplasm.