Breeding better cultivars, faster: applications of new technologies for the rapid deployment of superior horticultural tree crops.
Woody perennial plants, including trees that produce fruits and nuts of horticultural value, typically have long breeding cycles, and development and introduction of improved cultivars by plant breeders may require many breeding cycles and dozens of years. However, recent advances in biotechnologies and genomics have the potential to accelerate cultivar development greatly in all crops. This mini-review summarizes approaches to reduce the number and the duration of breeding cycles for horticultural tree crops, and outlines the challenges that remain to implement these into efficient breeding pipelines.
Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University , East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Steve
S
van Nocker
The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited Plant and Food Research Palmerston North Private Bag 11030 Manawatu Mail Centre , Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
Susan E
SE
Gardiner