Abstract
Russet formation in apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) is a superficial skin disorder that detracts from fruit appearance and therefore is a breeding target in many apple scion breeding programs. Previous studies have reported quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for russet formation, but these results have been limited to a narrow genetic background, which reduces breeding utility. In this study, 14 breeding parents were represented in 13-full sib families, nine of which were ‘Honeycrisp’-derived while the other four were derived from ‘Minneiska’, an offspring of ‘Honeycrisp.’ Two previously reported QTLs, on linkage group (LG) 2 and LG6, were confirmed and characterized for the first time in ‘Honeycrisp’-derived germplasm. Five other putative QTLs were also detected. The QTLs characterized in this study could be targeted for DNA test development to be used in marker-assisted selection. Non-additive interactions were observed at and between the LG2 and LG6 QTLs. Future work should include validation of QTL and haplotype effects in other germplasm, development of trait-predictive DNA tests for use in apple breeding programs, and exploration of genome-wide prediction models for russet formation.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 5 |
| Journal | Tree Genetics and Genomes |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was funded by the Minnesota State Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Minnesota Projects MIN-21–040 and MIN-21–097, and by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Initiative Projects 2009–51181-05808 and 2014–51181-22378.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
Keywords
- DNA-informed breeding
- FlexQTL™
- Haplotype analysis
- Malus domestica
- Pedigree-based analysis
