ISHS Acta Horticulturae 694: International Symposium on Harnessing the Potential of Horticulture in the Asian-Pacific Region
HORTICULTURAL PLANT BREEDING: PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS, FUTURE DIRECTIONS |
| Author: | J. Janick |
| Keywords: | Genetics, watermelon, pineapple, pea, sweet corn, history of plant breeding |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.694.6 |
| Abstract:
Genetic improvement of agronomic crops through breeding, which typically are marketed as commodities, are grower directed. Breeding objectives principally involve increasing yield, often based on resistance to biotic and non-biotic stress. For example improvement in hybrid maize yields have relied on increasing yield stability under high populations. In horticultural crops, breeding objectives must be consumer directed because consumers make individual decisions on consumption, and make choices between different cultivars and alternate crop species. Indeed, many horticultural industries are based on a very few cultivars with unique qualities [‘Clementine’ mandarin, ‘Kerman’ pistachio, ‘Williams’ (‘Bartlett’) pear, ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ banana]. Unique quality rather than yield per se must be the overriding breeding objective. Successful examples of quality improvement through breeding include the creation of supersweet maize, based on the incorporation of the shrunken gene; sugary podded snap peas; seedless triploid watermelons; and the yellow-fleshed, aromatic, pineapple. These breeding innovations have essentially created new Industries and represent the future direction for horticultural breeding. A way must be found to incorporate consumer satisfaction in the selection process. Marketing attempts to obscure cultivar identification and change horticultural crops into commodities need to be resisted by the industry. | |
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