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[nafex] Apple breeding



>From my reading, apple breeders have found that using some cultivars 
as parents gives much better results than using others. I'm sorry 
that I can't quote references.

If you want a character in the progeny, you choose parents which show 
that character, or parents whose own parents showed it (especially if 
you are crossing the F2's to get lots of variation).

If I were breeding for cold hardiness in the F1s, I would far rather 
cross say September Ruby x Goodland than Cox Orange x Golden 
Delicious. 

If I were after eating quality in F1s I would choose               
Cox Orange x Golden Delicious over Haas x Bancroft.

I would guess, for example, that the Minnesota station used Malinda a 
lot as a parent because it got results for their requirements.

Doug Woodard


--- In nafex@egroups.com, Fluffy Bunny <the.fluffy.bunny@j...> wrote:
> Ed wrote:
> 
>     Yes, there have been several studies which imply validity of the
> above.
> Unfortunately, until very recently, many seedlings which germinated 
late
> were
> discarded as being weak growers, non vigorous, etc.
>      If folks down south wanted low-chill and high quality, you 
might
> think
> about crossing Sundowner x GoldRush.
>      Just a thought.
> 
> My reply:
> 
> Hmmmm...
> 
> Okay so here is the thought.  
> 
> In previous posts you have stated with a certain level of 
affirmation
> that apples are very "inbred", so inbred that in general, all the 
talk of
> germ plasm preservation is relatively futile in regard to 
the "apple".
> 
> After conducting a minor analysis I would agree with your 
supposition. 
> That being said I am now trying to imagine the reason you would 
have for
> choosing superior parents in the first place.   Based on the genetic
> combination possible for the apple(I can't remember the number of
> combinations but it was significantly greater than that of a pear)I 
have
> having a hard time imagining that the odds come out better than 
random
> chance of the combinations in the first place.  
> 
> Another way to say this is outside of the "crab" disease resistance
> characteristics that all the modern disease resistant varieties 
seem to
> have in their lineage, I am having difficulty imagining that 
selecting
> the parents would produce an outcome greater than just allowing 
recessive
> and latent genetic patterns come forth naturally.   In other words 
it
> seems that the chances of a success are something in the magnitude 
if 1
> in 7500 or so(my computer was wiped out over the weekend so I lost 
my
> actual data), which approximates that of chance.
> 
> So, I have to ask Ed(or anyone else), do you actually think their 
is any
> merit in actually selecting the parents for apples in breeding 
programs;
> or is it another case of giving the participants the "warm and 
fuzzies"?
> 
> As always wishing you all the best,
> 
> 			the ever curious fluffy bunny
> 
> 
> 
> 
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