NZ Apple Experiments Bear Fruit for Geneticists
- 14 years ago
Scientists in New Zealand are combining advanced gene technology with conventional breeding to improve fruit crops. The research could help growers produce crops that are resistant to insects and diseases as well as contributing to improved health and nutrition for the consumers.
At Plant and Food Research in Auckland, New Zealand, scientists are using gene discovery initiatives for new breeding programs aimed at pinning down key crop traits they say are beneficial to both producers and consumers. The scientists are working with many fruits like the kiwifruit, pip fruit, stone fruit, berry fruit and hops. They have been particularly successful with apples, producing red and pink-fleshed varieties.
By combining advanced gene technology with conventional breeding, they have developed a way to give breeders the information they need to improve crop yields, crops that are resistant to insects and diseases, as well as contributing to improved health and nutrition for the consumers.
The advantages of using this research is that it helps the farmer or the crop grower by giving them improved yields that may be disease resistant or more sustainable.
For the grower, the fruit may require less water, while for the consumer they may be tastier, healthier or better looking.
The other advantage to this is it speeds up the time the breeder and crop grower may take in developing a good, healthy, sustainable crop, which in turn could help preserve the environment.
"What we're talking about here is using genomic technology, using knowledge of the genome, knowledge of genes themselves to help in our more traditional breeding program."
Eventually researchers say the program will begin to be used commercially around the world… and shoppers will see many different varieties of apples and other fruits sitting on market shelves all year round.
At Plant and Food Research in Auckland, New Zealand, scientists are using gene discovery initiatives for new breeding programs aimed at pinning down key crop traits they say are beneficial to both producers and consumers. The scientists are working with many fruits like the kiwifruit, pip fruit, stone fruit, berry fruit and hops. They have been particularly successful with apples, producing red and pink-fleshed varieties.
By combining advanced gene technology with conventional breeding, they have developed a way to give breeders the information they need to improve crop yields, crops that are resistant to insects and diseases, as well as contributing to improved health and nutrition for the consumers.
The advantages of using this research is that it helps the farmer or the crop grower by giving them improved yields that may be disease resistant or more sustainable.
For the grower, the fruit may require less water, while for the consumer they may be tastier, healthier or better looking.
The other advantage to this is it speeds up the time the breeder and crop grower may take in developing a good, healthy, sustainable crop, which in turn could help preserve the environment.
"What we're talking about here is using genomic technology, using knowledge of the genome, knowledge of genes themselves to help in our more traditional breeding program."
Eventually researchers say the program will begin to be used commercially around the world… and shoppers will see many different varieties of apples and other fruits sitting on market shelves all year round.