title: Current status of tropical fruit breeding and genetics for three tropical fruit species cultivated in Japan: pineapple, mango, and papaya.
abstract: Tropical fruit crops are predominantly produced in tropical and subtropical developing countries, but some are now grown in southern Japan. Pineapple (Ananas comosus), mango (Mangifera indica) and papaya (Carica papaya) are major tropical fruits cultivated in Japan. Modern, well-organized breeding systems have not yet been developed for most tropical fruit species. Most parts of Japan are in the temperate climate zone, but some southern areas such as the Ryukyu Islands, which stretch from Kyushu to Taiwan, are at the northern limits for tropical fruit production without artificial heating. In this review, we describe the current status of tropical fruit breeding, genetics, genomics, and biotechnology of three main tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, and papaya) that are cultivated and consumed in Japan. More than ten new elite cultivars of pineapple have been released with improved fruit quality and suitability for consumption as fresh fruit. New challenges and perspectives for obtaining high fruit quality are discussed in the context of breeding programs for pineapple.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Agriculture Research Front, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences , 1091-1, Maezato-Kawarabaru, Ishigaki, Okinawa 907-0002 , Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.affiliation: Tropical Agriculture Research Front, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences , 1091-1, Maezato-Kawarabaru, Ishigaki, Okinawa 907-0002 , Japan.
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Research Center , 820 Makabe, Itoman, Okinawa 901-0336 , Japan.
authors.forename: Moriyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shoda
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Research Center , 820 Makabe, Itoman, Okinawa 901-0336 , Japan.
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Urasaki
authors.affiliation: NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science , 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605 , Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
keywords: fruit quality; mango; molecular marker; papaya; pineapple