Estimation of genetic parameters and prediction of

Authors: Abou Bakari Kouassi CharlesEric Durel Fabrizio Costa Stefano Tartarini Eric van de Weg Kate Evans Felicidad FernandezFernandez Ceri Govan Anastasia Boudichevskaja Frank Dunemann Adriana Antofie Marc Lateur Marta StankiewiczKosyl Andrzej Soska Kazimierz Tomala Markus Lewandowski Krzysztof Rutkovski Edwards Zurawicz Walter Guerra François Laurens

Publish Date: 2009/06/02

Volume: 5, Issue: 4, Pages: 659-672

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Abstract

Genetic parameters for apple Malus x domestica fruit external traits fruit size ground colour proportion of over colour and attractiveness and sensory traits firmness crispness texture juiciness flavour sugar acidity and global taste were estimated using 2207 pedigreed genotypes from breeding programmes in six European countries Data were scored for 3 years and four periods during storage Analyses were performed with a restricted maximum likelihood method using VCE 512 software Heritability estimates ranged from medium to high for instrumental traits Genetic correlations between firmness and sugar were medium and low between firmness and acidity Sensory traits showed low to high heritability acidity and flavour being respectively the most and the less heritable Global taste was strongly correlated with texture juiciness and flavour and relatively less correlated with crispness and acidity Sensory sugar and acidity showed highly negative correlations whereas their instrumental measurements showed low and increasing positive correlations from harvest to 4 months postharvest Sugar exhibited a higher sensory/instrumental divergence Conversely instrumental and sensory firmness were highly correlated Fruit external characteristics had medium heritability Fruit attractiveness had highest and lowest correlations with fruit size and ground colour respectively Best linear unbiased predictors of breeding values were computed for all genotypes with the software PEST The results were analysed with regard to the dynamic and the reliability of genetic parameters according to the scoring dates Original issues of the study and the importance of the obtained results for efficient designs of further apple fruit quality breeding programmes were discussedThis publication was carried out with the financial support from the Commission of the European Communities contract N° QLK5CT200201492 Directorate—General Research—Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources Programme It does not necessarily reflect the Commissions views and in no way anticipates its future policy in this area Its content is the sole responsibility of the publishers The authors are very thankful to all the technicians who collected the data in the different institutes They are also thankful to Dr Joseph ONYEKA for his useful critical advises on the manuscript

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