Apple breeding at Aomori Apple Experiment Station, Japan.

摘要

Aomori Apple Experiment Station started a breeding programme for apples in 1929. Eight apple cultivars have been patented. Our recent major aim is to breed high fruit quality cultivars combined with a low cost of production. We have now six breedinggoals: (1) self-compatible cultivars; (2) fruit self-thinning cultivars; (3) breeding new cultivars and rootstocks with resistance to Alternaria leaf spot, scab, valsa canker, and violet root rot; (4) columnar cultivars; (5) dwarfing rootstocks with good propagability by hardwood cuttings; (6) dwarfing rootstocks having apomictic character. Megumi was released as a self-compatible cultivar, in 1950. Aori 9 (Aomori Apple 9) was selected as a fruit self-thinning cultivar and Aodai 3 (Aomori Rootstock 3)as a dwarfing rootstock with good propagability by hardwood cuttings. DNA markers have been used for selecting progenies and for constructing a database of parental cultivars. A linkage map of the important parents used in Japan is being constructed.