Research and Development

Following four priority research themes are currently developed:

• Fruit quality
• Disease resistance
• Production efficiency

A good apple is characterized by an excellent flavor and texture. The latter means that an apple must be juicy, sufficiently firm and crisp. Critically, these characteristics need to be preserved during storage and shelf life. After all, the success of a commercial apple variety depends largely upon the quality of the fruit at its final destination, the consumer. At present very little is known about how these quality characteristics are inherited. Therefore the goal of our research is to develop a better understanding of the genetic control of fruit quality in order to optimize the choice of suitable parents in the breeding process. A second aspect of fruit quality is the antioxidant content (e.g. Vitamin C). "High" antioxidant levels in fruit are in general associated with improved nutritional value and with enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, which in turn will enhance yield. Better3Fruit is investigating antioxidant content and its correlation with biotic and abiotic stresses in apple.

In response to the increased concerns about food safety and the environment, Better3Fruit aims to develop apple varieties that require less phytosanitary treatments by breeding for natural disease resistance. We have developed several superior scab-resistant varieties that are in the process of being released. Further research aims at identifying novel sources of resistance, both monogenic and polygenic. The study of resistance to powdery mildew and storage diseases is also an important part of our programme and is receiving a lot of effort.

Tree architecture has a major influence on production efficiency. Currently fruit growers are concerned with three aspects of orchard management that are all affected by tree architecture: 1. a significant reduction in the time needed for pruning and harvesting; 2. early and high production; and 3.regular cropping. Better3fruit is researching the inheritance of tree architecture in order to develop an early screening method which will assist in the breeding of commercial apple varieties with a high production efficiency.