Tree Fruit Gene Research Is Critical
June 1, 2008 These last few weeks of low temperature events in the Pacific Northwest have us worried and wondering about the ultimate impact on our tree fruit crops. 10%? 20%? More? The season is far from over and we may take a few more hits. I suppose I could rave on about inherent risks in farming, calamities induced by climate change, or the escalation of prices for the propane powering our wind machines (along with all those other petroleum products).
Yet, despite the very real damages suffered already by tree fruit producers throughout Eastern Washington, and the gauntlet we have yet to run through the 2008 season, the general attitude is optimistic. Returns and product movement remain strong, marketing organizations are gearing up for another positive year, with adequate supplies of high-quality fruit, and we continue to invest in new plantings.
Those new plantings, as I highlighted in my last column, are based on the single most significant technology available to tree fruit growers — the genetic package comprising the rootstock and scion combination. Regardless of the horticultural manipulations producers impose, the postharvest practices employed by shippers, and dynamic marketing and retail positioning, the consumer will purchase a fruit or fruit product whose quality will never exceed the capacity of its genetics. All those efforts are indeed critical to achieving optimum yields, to maintaining condition in storage, and to delivering a product of defined, reliable quality to the consumer, but those efforts cannot transcend the genetic potential of the tree and its fruit. Put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig.
Fortunately, we are now in an era in which genetic technologies available to create superior rootstock and scion genotypes have never been more effective and accessible. This is especially true for apples, but in cherries, peaches, and even pears, producers have a far more exciting range of materials to plant than ever. Red Delicious, Bing, and Anjou still lead the parade, and an overabundance of scion sports still clogs catalogs, but the tree fruit band has a lot more players now, with a lot more tunes and a lot stronger beat.
New Tools In Front Of Us
Certainly, we continue to improve the genetics of tree fruits the old-fashioned way in worldwide breeding programs. Scientists select superior genotypes among progenies of planned and unplanned crosses. Nothing wrong with that. We must never forget that a pipeline with all the fancy technology in the world means nothing without plant materials that are available, reliable, and affordable coming out the end.
Increasingly, however, producers are buying into the promise of utilizing the tools of genomics and genetics to make breeding programs more efficient and effective. For example, a recent commitment by research institutions and the tree fruit industries of Oregon and Washington has resulted in the addition of seven new scientists at Washington State University and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the past three years. Trained in state-of-the-art genomics technologies, these folks bring insight and enthusiasm to existing breeding programs. They are critical to more effectively addressing the practical issue of creating new rootstock and scion genotypes to plant in our state-of-the-art orchards.
While this growth in the Pacific Northwest has been striking, new scientists and programs are being established across the country: the ARS lab in Kearneysville, WV; Cornell University in Geneva, NY; Clemson University in Clemson, SC; and the University of Florida in Gainesville. A similar pattern has occurred internationally. These scientists are forming a collaborative network, working across traditional commodity lines to apply the tools of genomics to all of the specialty crops in the Rosaceae family: almonds, apples, blackberries, cherries, peaches, raspberries, roses, and strawberries. By working together, and strengthening their partnership with commodity organizations, this Rosaceae research community has successfully competed for funding through USDA, the National Science Foundation, and commodity groups. They are one of the few groups selected as finalists for a $5 million USDA grant this past February.
The scientific tools they utilize are based on our new abilities to analyze individual chromosomes, genes, and DNA sequences of living organisms, and utilize that detailed information to understand how genes function to affect a trait, and how all of the genes in a single organism interact over time to create a unique individual, whether it is a human, mouse, a weed, or an apple tree. This knowledge not only allows us to understand how an apple tree responds to its environment, yields well, or produces high-quality fruit, but it gives our breeding programs a roadmap to analyze and manipulate genes more efficiently and precisely.
Moving Forward
This all started with the human genome, mice, rice, and a non-crop plant called Arabidopsis. Scientists analyzed every single bit of DNA in these species and obtained the complete sequence of that DNA on every chromosome, allowing them to create detailed physical maps and to utilize this information to understand where genes are and how they operate. Subsequently, they can genetically manipulate the target organism using traditional breeding methods, or employ novel approaches with recombinant DNA.
As technologies have improved, especially computing power, costs throughout have accelerated proportionately. It cost hundreds of millions and took years to sequence the human genome. Now, a group led by Washington State University and University of Washington researchers is sequencing the apple genome, and expect to finish it this year. That information will be made publicly available, so the Rosaceae research community will be able to apply their skills and help develop new plant materials for the commercial market that deliver the consumer a better eating experience and help maintain the profitability of our producers and processors.
Yes, despite the tough start to the 2008 crop season and the enfeebled Farm Bill, there is plenty to be optimistic about in tree fruits and specialty crops. In fact, maybe these smart new scientists can finally figure out how to control spring weather, or at least develop some new plant materials that can take the cold!
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