Cherry Breeding and Genetics at East Malling Research:

a brief history

Feli Fernández

Talk overview

• EMR timeline

• EMR now

• Cherry breeding at EMR

– Rootstocks– Rootstocks

– Scions

• Past underpinning research

• Future research

• 1913-1920 – Wye College Fruit Experiment Station

• 1920-1987 – East Malling Research Station

• 1987-1990 – AFRC Institute of Horticultural Research (EMRS + 3 other org)

• 1990-2004 – HRI (AFRC IHR + 3 ADAS Experimental

EMR timeline

• 1990-2004 – HRI (AFRC IHR + 3 ADAS Experimental Horticultural Stations)

• 2004-present – East Malling Research

2013 centenary

‘Fruits and Roots: a celebration and forward look’ – 16-17th April

http://www.emr.ac.uk/PDF/fruits_and_roots_cfp.pdf

East Malling Research

EMR is part of the East Malling Group headed by the East Malling Trust

Charity and company limited by guarantee

>100 ha of land for commercial farming and experimentation>100 ha of land for commercial farming and experimentation

GHs and controlled environment facilities

~ 45 permanent science staff, ~30 admin & farm support staff,

6 PhD students and 5-10 summer students

Pest and pathogen ecology and sustainable crop management

Chemical ecology Modelling Interactions among pests, Biodiversity

Research Programmes

Chemical ecology of pests and predators

Modelling population dynamics

among pests, pathogens plants

and control agents

Biodiversityand ecosystem

services

Resource efficiency for crop production

Environmental Below ground biotic

Resource use

Research Programmes

Environmentalinteractions

Below ground biotic

interactions

Resource use efficiency

Research Programmes

Genetics and Crop Improvement

Rootstock Commercial Strawberry

Molecular Rootstock genetics

Commercial breeding

programmes

Strawberry Improvement

Moleculargenetics

of berry crops

Talk overview

• EMR timeline

• EMR now

• Cherry breeding at EMR

– Rootstocks– Rootstocks

– Scions

• Past underpinning research

• Future research

Breeding new cherries

Identify suitable parents (germplasm)

Crossing parents

Raise seedling progenies

Screen and select

(Trialling and release)

Crop Name Cross made Parents Released

Apple M.1 to 16* n/a * Selected and characterised 1913-1914

Apple M.17 to 24* n/a * Selected and characterised 1924

Apple M.25 1917 onwards Northern Spy x M.2 1952

Apple MM.104 1917 onwards M.2 x Northern Spy 1952

Apple MM.106 1917 onwards Northern Spy x M.1 1952

Apple MM.109 1917 onwards M.2 x Northern Spy 1952

Apple MM.111 1917 onwards Northern Spy x Merton 793 1952

Apple M.26 1929 M.16 x M.9 1959

Apple M27 1934 M.13 x M.9 1975

Cherry rootstock development

Apple M27 1934 M.13 x M.9 1975

Apple M.116 1969 MM.106 x M.27 2001

Cherry F12/1* n/a * Selected and characterised 1924

Cherry Colt 1958 Prunus avium F299/2 x P. pseudocerasus 1977

Cherry Cob 1958 Prunus avium F299/2 x P. pseudocerasus 1980

Cherry Charger 1957 Prunus avium F1/3 open pollinated 1986

Plum Myrobalam B* n/a * Selected and characterised 1920

Plum Damas C* n/a * Selected and characterised 1920

Plum St Julien A* n/a * Selected and characterised 1920

Plum Pixy 1949 St. Julien d’Orleans open-pollinated 1977

Quince (pear) EM A to C* n/a * Selected and characterised 1920

Quince (pear) EMH 1969 C51 open pollinated 2001

• publicly-funded UK programme run at John Innes institute from 1921

• main objectives high yields and reliable cropping

Cherry scion breeding

• strong focus on self-compatible genotypes

• ‘Merton series’, ‘Colney’, JI selections

• 1980’s consolidation of research institutes

• JI cherry germplasm and breeding programme move to EM

• extension of genetic resources

Cherry scion breeding

• extension of genetic resources

• underpinning research

– elucidation of mechanism of SI

– pest and disease resistance

Recent background

Defra-funded stone fruit breeding & development programme (2003-08):

• Extending the season: late-ripening cherries

• Reliable cropping & good fruit quality

• Sustainable production: natural pest resistance (canker and black-fly)

• (Molecular markers development)• (Molecular markers development)

Maximizing potential of the pipeline (2008-09)

HDC-funded cherry variety trials (ongoing):

• Evaluation of material arising from EMR’s breeding programme and overseas cultivars

• Technology transfer

Penny

Zoë

Cherry Breeding Group

Partnership with UNIVEG and AIGN

2010 - 20202010 - 2020

Breeding objectives

season extension (both early and late)

fruit quality:sizefirmnessflavour

resistance to crackingresistance to cracking

reliable cropping

novelty types

pest and disease resistance

self-compatibility

Advanced selections

Talk overview

• EMR timeline

• EMR now

• Cherry breeding at EMR

– Rootstocks– Rootstocks

– Scions

• Past underpinning research

• Future research

Underpinning research

Identification of sources of resistance to canker and black-fly and introgression into P. avium

Development of molecular tools for marker assisted breeding:assisted breeding:

linked markers for selection

S-allele determination

fingerprinting for maintaining the integrity of genetic resources & IP protection

Testing for resistance to black-fly

Tobutt et al unpublished

Underpinning research

Identification of sources of resistance to canker and black-fly and introgressioninto P. avium

Development of molecular tools for Development of molecular tools for marker assisted breeding:

linked markers for selection

S-allele determination

fingerprinting for maintaining the integrity of genetic resources & IP protection

East Malling microsatellite cherry map

nUDP96-018*0.0CPPCT16**0.9nUCD-CH36C**11.4nCPSCT008***18.4nCPPCT24C***22.7EMPA001**30.6nEMPA005***32.7nCPPCT27***nUCD-CH31***33.8

nCPDCT019**nBPPCT35A**34.9

PceGA5941.5aPceGA5041.8EMPA00246.3nUDP96-00548.4nM09a58.1M04c69.3EMPA016*72.4npchgms3*73.1nCPPCT34**79.8nMA062a**82.5nCPPCT26**88.9

G1

nEMPA0170.0nUCD-CH164.8nEMPA0227.3nEMPA00711.1nBPPCT15*15.6nCPPCT1223.1nCPPCT24A24.7MA069a36.2nEMPA01039.5BPPCT441.4aCPSCT03843.3nPMS49**49.4MA005c49.7nUCD-CH10***51.3aEMPA01351.5nBPPCT13A***54.3nM01a***57.4UDP98-411***64.7MA007a***67.9pchgms1***68.4UCD-CH11***70.5nBPPCT24***73.0

G2

nBPPCT220.0

[nCPPCT18]12.9

nMA066a20.3UDP97-40321.8PMS3025.6UCD-CH2626.9BPPCT3932.9nEMPaS1238.4

nCPSCT03249.6nMA039a52.9

aBPPCT35B*64.9EMPaS05nACO66.1

UDP96-008*68.5aUCD-CH1976.7aEMPaS0278.1

G3

nUCD-CH130.0BPPCT101.3EMPA0151.7

nEMPaS1317.6UDP98-02419.8nUCD-CH1721.4nPMS322.0BPPCT523.3PMS4024.9UCD-CH18EMPaS06UCD-CH15

25.9

BPPCT4036.7nM12a47.6nEMPaS1050.9aUDP97-40254.9nCPPCT24B60.9

nCPPCT1476.3BPPCT13B78.5PS02A0283.1

G4

nEMPA020A0.0(BPPCT26)7.3nBPPCT418.5nCPPCT3612.1nUDP97-40114.4nEMPA00615.5PceGA25A*19.1nBPPCT1720.6EMPaS11*27.9BPPCT37**30.8nMD204a*36.2nCPPCT13*nPceGA25B*37.4

aEMPA00940.1BPPCT38**43.7EMPaS14*45.9CPDCT022*BPPCT14*49.0

nBPPCT32***49.7CPPCT25***54.6

G5

CPSCT0020.0EMPA0294.7nUDP98-4166.8nUCD-CH36A12.2

EMPaS01*28.0nUDP96-001***30.5nBPPCT8***38.8nM19a***44.8nCPPCT29***47.7EMPA004***48.7CPSCT029***50.8nUCD-CH36B***56.0CPPCT23***59.3nEMPA019***61.7aMA027a67.5UDP98-021***72.4nUDP98-412***76.9MA040a***79.1PGLM***81.3aM05a84.7S***86.1nCPPCT30***86.5AMPA121***86.6nCPPCT21***91.9

G6

(AMPA107)0.0aEMPA0271.1

(nCPSCT004)12.9

CPPCT2224.5CPSCT02626.8M21a37.2nCPSCT03338.2CPPCT3347.2MA020a51.6nPMS2nUCD-CH3954.2

UCD-CH1454.8nPS08E0857.5

PS05C03*74.6nCPPCT7*78.4nCPPCT17***83.9

G7

EMPA026*0.0

nCPDCT03414.4M07a18.4MD201a19.1nCPPCT35nUDP96-01919.8

nBPPCT12*29.0CPPCT6*31.0aMA019a31.7nEMPA018**33.5nM06a*36.8nUDP98-409***49.8

nBPPCT33***nM11c***65.7

G8

nCPPCT26**88.9aPMS6795.3DFR*98.9nEKO***102.0nEMPA020B***104.2nCPPCT19***112.0nBPPCT11***113.6EMPA003***115.1nEMPA011***116.2nEMPA008***119.3nM15a***124.3nBPPCT28***124.4UDP98-022***125.2

nBPPCT24***73.0aEMPA01273.3UCD-CH12***74.3EMPaS04***78.5nUCD-CH21***83.6aPceGA3486.8

nCPCDT02789.1PS02A0283.1

Clarke et al 2008

Agronomic genes located on cherry map

albino

yellow skin

albino

burrknot

incompatibility

Tobutt and Clarke unpublished

Isoenzyme linkage mapping:

Bošković et al 1997 (Euphytica)

Bošković & Tobutt 199 (Acta Hort)

SSR development and linkage maps:

Scientific outputs

SSR development and linkage maps:

Clarke and Tobutt 2003 (Molecular Ecology Notes)

Vaughan & Russell 2004 (Molecular Ecology Notes)

Clarke et al 2008 (TGG)

Self(in)compatibility

Bošković & Tobutt 1996 (Euphytica)

Bošković & Tobutt 2001 (TAG)

Sonneveld et al 2003 (TAG)

Tobutt et al 2004 (TAG)

Sonneveld et al 2004 (The Plant Cell)

Selected scientific outputs

Sonneveld et al 2004 (The Plant Cell)

Sonneveld et al 2006 (Plant Breeding)

Vaughan et al 2006 (TAG)

Marchese et al 2007 (J Exp Bot)

Vaughan et al 2008 (TGG)

Marchese et al 2009 (TGG)

Cultivar S EMPA05 EMPA06 EMPA11 EMPA04 EMPA15 EMPA02 EMPA8 EMPA14

Circassian B S1S2 240 244 202 218 73 106 182 182 221 241 143 147 95 107 196 196

Knight's Early Black A S1S2 240 244 202 218 73 106 182 182 22 1 241 143 147 95 107 196 196

Lester S1S2 240 244 202 218 73 106 182 182 221 241 143 147 95 107 196 196

Carnation C S1S2 240 244 202 218 73 106 182 182 221 241 143 147 9 5 107 196 196

Identification of duplicates (SSR)

Black Eagle B S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 240 254 135 14 3 95 107 196 198

Roundel S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 219 250 135 143 95 107 196 198

Roundel A S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 219 250 135 143 95 1 07 196 198

Ronald's Heart S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 219 250 135 1 43 95 107 196 198

Elton Orchard B&C S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 219 250 1 35 143 95 107 196 198

Elton Orchard F&G S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 219 250 1 35 143 95 107 196 198

Bedford Prolific A S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 219 250 135 143 95 107 196 198

Black Downton S1S2 242 244 202 226 73 102 182 190 219 250 135 14 3 95 107 196 198

Talk overview

• EMR timeline

• EMR now

• Cherry breeding at EMR

– Rootstocks– Rootstocks

– Scions

• Underpinning research

– self(in)compatibility

– SSR development and linkage mapping

• Future research

Optimise ECPGR recommended set of SSRs for genotyping

Integrating RosBreed markers for fruit size

Future (and current)

Deployment of SSR and SI genotyping for characterisation of advanced selections

Future (and current)

Colney x (Sweet September x Lapins)

Emma Skipper’s posterEmma Skipper’s poster

Ken Tobutt

Radovan Bošković

Karen Russell

Tineke Sonneveld

Simon Vaughan

Dan Sargent

Laima Antanaviciute

Emma Skipper

Esther Salas

students & visiting workers

Acknowledgements

Simon Vaughan

Annalisa Marchese

students & visiting workers

Tim Robbins (University of Nottingham

Tiziano Caruso (Universita degli study di Palermo)