Low input fast-track (LIFT): an approach for fast introgression and stacking of (R-)genes into advanced apple...

Area of Science:

• Plant breeding
• Horticulture
• Genetics

Background:

• Developing disease-resistant apple cultivars is crucial for sustainable production.
• Classical breeding methods for introgressing resistance genes from wild relatives are lengthy, often exceeding 25 years.
• Wild apples possess valuable disease resistance but have undesirable fruit and tree qualities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-input protocol to shorten the apple breeding cycle.
• To significantly reduce the timeline for developing apple cultivars with introgressed disease resistance.
• To accelerate the creation of disease-resistant apple varieties for sustainable agriculture.

Main Methods:

• The "LIFT" method combines forced seedling growth in greenhouses with artificial vernalization in cold rooms.
• This protocol facilitates flower induction in seedlings carrying fire blight resistance genes.
• Monitoring of fire blight resistance, fruit weight, and genome adaptation across generations.

Main Results:

• The "LIFT" method halved the generation time to approximately two years, a 50% reduction in the breeding cycle.
• Flower induction was achieved in about 20% of seedlings after the second vernalization period.
• Observed an increase in single fruit weight and a progressive reduction of the unadapted genome without resistance erosion.

Conclusions:

• The developed "LIFT" protocol is efficient and reliable for accelerating the breeding of disease-resistant apple cultivars.
• This method can be used with or without molecular markers to introduce traits from wild apple relatives.
• The protocol supports the urgent need for pre-breeding selections to ensure sustainable apple production.