Proceedings of the XLVII Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics - SIGA Annual Congress

Verona, Italy - 24/27 September, 2003

ISBN 88-900622-4-X

Poster Abstract - 2.22

HiDRAS: AN INNOVATIVE MULTIDISCIPLINARY EU-FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECT TO BREED HIGH-QUALITY DISEASE RESISTANT APPLES

L. GIANFRANCESCHI, V. SOGLIO

Department of Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy

apple, fruit quality, molecular markers, QTL mapping

HiDRAS (High-quality Disease Resistant Apples for a Sustainable Agriculture) is a collaborative effort between 11 European groups (University of Milano and University of Bologna, Italy; Plant Research International, The Netherlands; INRA Centre d’Angers, France; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Swiss Federal Research Station, Switzerland; Horticultural Research International, U.K.; Federal Centre for Breeding Research on Cultivated Plants, Germany; Centre de Recherches Agronomiques de Gembloux, Belgium; Warsaw Agricultural University and Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Poland) aimed at the identification of genetic factors controlling fruit quality.

An innovative approach based on the phenotypic and molecular characterization of a large number of related genotypes will be adopted. One of the aims of this project is to provide breeders with new tools, such as molecular markers linked to fruit quality and pathogen resistance, improving “marker assisted selection”. New software will be developed to fully exploit genotypic, phenotypic and pedigree data, consequently fruit quality QTLs will be identified and the transmission of their alleles will be followed along the pedigree. A large number of highly informative markers, including markers from fruit-quality-related genes will be generated and employed to fill in the gaps existing in the apple linkage map already constructed and to increase the efficiency of the QTL analysis. The study of the quality parameters that determine the success of a new apple variety will be carry out testing European consumer needs. In those occasions our scientific research will be presented increasing the trust of European citizens towards disease resistant apples, therefore favoring their diffusion. An apple data repository will be established to collect and share data among participants. Initially database access will be limited but later public access could be partially granted.

Currently a HiDRAS website (http://users.unimi.it/hidras) has been created to allow a world-wide diffusion of the objectives of the project, the work progress and the participants involved.

The original and well concerted multidisciplinary approach, including apple breeding, genetics, molecular biology, statistics and bioinformatics, will ensure the achievement of the project objectives.