Heritability and patterns of inheritance of the ripening date of apples

• Published in: HortScience Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 325 - 328
• Main Authors: Tancred, S.J. (Granite Belt Horticultural Research Station, Stanthorpe, Australia.), Zeppa, A.G, Cooper, M, Stringer, J.K
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Society for Horticultural Science 01.04.1995
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; AMELIORATION DES PLANTES; APTITUD COMBINATORIA; APTITUDE A LA COMBINAISON; Biological and medical sciences; DATE DE RECOLTE; FECHA DE RECOLECCION; FITOMEJORAMIENTO; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; HEREDABILIDAD; HEREDITE; HERENCIA GENETICA; HERITABILITE; MADURAMIENTO; MALUS PUMILA; MURISSAGE; PARAMETRE GENETIQUE; PARAMETROS GENETICOS; PRECOCIDAD; PRECOCITE; VARIACION GENETICA; VARIATION GENETIQUE; VARIEDADES; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims; VARIETE; Yield, quality, earliness, varia; Genetic inheritance; Harvesting; Rosaceae; Malus domestica; Date; Combining ability; Ripening; Progeny; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Heritability; Fruit tree; Cultivar
• ISSN: 0018-5345; 2327-9834
• DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.30.2.325

A major objective of the apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) breeding program in Stanthorpe, Australia, is to develop early ripening, high-quality cultivars. The heritability and inheritance of ripening date was investigated. Regression of offspring on midparent harvest dates and estimation of best linear unbiased predictions for parents were used to demonstrate that apple harvest date is highly heritable. Predominantly, additive genetic components of variance are responsible for the variation. Despite the existence of some specific combining ability variance and some non-normal family distributions, the best strategy for a breeder to predict the harvest date of progeny is to calculate the mean harvest date of parents