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Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 11/14/2006 Publication Date: 7/1/2016 Citation: Lewers, K.S. 2016. TRAITS AND GENES AFFECTING REPEAT FRUITING. HortScience. 41(4):910-911. Interpretive Summary: Many in the berry industry are interested in season extension through a combination of cultural practices and amenable cultivars. Several strawberry breeders are developing repeat-fruiting cultivars while several bramble breeders are developing primocane-fruiting cultivars and learning much about the inheritance of these traits. As with many traits, inheritance depends on the germplasm the breeder uses and can vary among and within species. Individual traits leading to repeat flowering and/or fruiting in multiple species have been recognized and discussed for several decades and include: lack of photoperiod sensitivity; lack of a vernalization requirement; tolerance to stress from heat, drought, and light; and a shortened or no juvenility state. Many key genes controlling these traits have been identified in Arabidopsis and other species and include CONSTANS (CO) for photoperiod response and FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) for vernalization response. Many of these genes work to repress flowering, so that traits desired by berry breeders are expressed when these genes are not functioning. The interactions between these and other important flowering genes will be discussed in relation to how they affect the traits desired by berry breeders. Technical Abstract: Many in the berry industry are interested in season extension through a combination of cultural practices and amenable cultivars. Several strawberry breeders are developing repeat-fruiting cultivars while several bramble breeders are developing primocane-fruiting cultivars and learning much about the inheritance of these traits. As with many traits, inheritance depends on the germplasm the breeder uses and can vary among and within species. Individual traits leading to repeat flowering and/or fruiting in multiple species have been recognized and discussed for several decades and include: lack of photoperiod sensitivity; lack of a vernalization requirement; tolerance to stress from heat, drought, and light; and a shortened or no juvenility state. Many key genes controlling these traits have been identified in Arabidopsis and other species and include CONSTANS (CO) for photoperiod response and FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) for vernalization response. Many of these genes work to repress flowering, so that traits desired by berry breeders are expressed when these genes are not functioning. The interactions between these and other important flowering genes will be discussed in relation to how they affect the traits desired by berry breeders. |
