Our apple breeding program

• was started in the beginning of the 1990s;

• in the direction of prof. Dr. Magdolna Tóth

(head of Department)
The main aim of our apple breeding
program:
• widen the Hungarian apple cultivar
assortment by table, double-
purpose or industrial cultivars,
• good fruit qualtity and excellent
productivity,
• suitability for Hungarian production
areas,
The main aim of our apple breeding
program (cont.):
• suitability for environmentally-friendly
and cost-saving cultivation
technologies,
• disease and pest resistance
(durable and high-level resistance to
present Hungarian biotypes of apple
scab, powdery mildew, fire blight,
canker)
 The methode of our apple
breeding program
First year:
crossing in the spring
↓
collecting the fruits and pick out the seeds
↓
stratification of the seeds

(about 2500-3000 seed pro year)

Second year:
sowing the seeds in glass-house
(End of Ferbuary or Beginn of March)
↓
(about 2000-2500 seedlings pro year)
↓
inoculation of young plants (= hybrids) by
apple scab
(in the age of 3-5 leaves plant)
↓
selection of susceptible seedlings
(remain about 1400-2000 seedlings)
↓
planting in field in the autumn
Third and fourth year:

note down the resistance grade to apple scab

and powdery mildew by natural infection
(2x pro year - in Mai and in September)
End of fourth year:
selection of susceptible seedlings to apple scab
and powdery mildew
(remain about 200-300 seedlings)

↓
grafting the resistant hybrids of graftwood M9
(4 grafting pro hybrids)

End of fifth year:

planting the graftings in orchard in the autumn

Sixth-eighth year:
controlling of resistance,
examination of fruit quality
↓
selection based on resistance/susceptibility
and quality
(remain about 50-60 hybrids)

Eighth-nineth year: see 6-8. year +

testing of resistance/susceptibility to fire blight

and selection
(remain about 15-20 hybrids)
 Inoculation by the bacterium Erwinia
amylovora
See the lesson of Maria Hevesi
next week

Fotó: Kása Katalin

Tenth-fifteenth year:

planting in orchards
(100-200 grafting pro hybrids)
↓
observation of yield and productivity
↓
selection of worst bearing hibrids
(remain about 10 hybrids / cultivar candidates)

↓
submission for national recognition
From crossing take long to the national
recognation (about 15-18 years)
↓
MAS (marker assisted selection) could
speed up the breeding process
 Markeranalysis of seedling population
using AL-07-SCAR marker (designed for
apple scab resistance gene Vf)

Progeny

Progeny

Remo
MR-09
s

r: resistant allel
s: susceptible allel
Other molecular researches:
• identification of S-genotype (selfincompatibility
allels)
(apples are selfincompatible!!!);

• parents identification (we use SSRs = simple

sequence repeats = microsatellit markers).
 Cultivar / hybrid Mother Father

Jonager Jonathan Egri piros

Kovauguszt Jonathan Egri piros

Kovelit Egri piros Jonathan

Kovmulti Egri piros Jonathan

8 microsatellit primer:
Kovsztár Egri piros Jonathan
CH01f02, CH01h01, Nyári zamatos Jonathan Egri piros
CH02c02a, CH02c09, Fertődi téli Jonathan Török Bálint
CH03g04, CH04e03, Téli arany
Budai Domokos
CH05d11, CH05e03 parmen Jászvadóka

All Red
MR-09 Jonathan Prima

Raritan's
MR-11 Prima seedling

MR-12 Prima Granny Smith

Jonathan
MR-13 M41 Prima

A-75 Idared Priam

A-380 Granny Smith Prima

 Results of parents identification

Budai Domokos – Soroksár Origin of allel Conclusion

Cultivar
mother father
Jonager 100% 100% origin is confirmed
Kovaguszt 88% 88% origin is confirmed
Kovelit 100% 88% origin is confirmed
Kovmulti 100% 75% origin is confirmed
Kovsztár 75% 75% origin is confirmed
Budai Domokos - Újfehértó
Nyári
75% 75% origin is confirmed
zamatos
pollen donor is
Fertődi téli 100% 25%
unknown
Budai
38% 38% origin is unknown
Domokos
 Usually more crosses and backcrosses
are needed

First generation hybrids Cultivar candidate

Fotó: Szalay László

Thank you for your attention