Genome-Wide Association Studies in Apples with Dr. Zoe Migicovsky and Dr. Carsten Pedersen

Published: Jan. 17, 2020, 4:55 a.m.

\u201cGenome-Wide Association Studies in Apple Reveal Loci for Aroma Volatiles, Sugar Composition, and Harvest Date\u201d with Dr. Zo\xeb Migicovsky, Dr. Carsten Pedersen

Apple breeding can take a long time. Because each seed is the progeny of two different trees and each tree takes five to six years to produce its first fruits, breeders can be waiting years, if not decades, to see the results of their hard work. Drs. Zo\xeb Migicovsky and Carsten Pedersen are working to change that. By comparing the genomes of varying apple cultivars and their phenotypic data (traits you can discern via the five senses), Zo\xeb and Carsten aim to pinpoint which genes are responsible for which traits. With that information, simple DNA testing may be able to shave years off of each round of breeding, helping breeders create better apples for your shelves in far less time.

Listen in to learn:

  • What is a genome wide association study?
  • What is the Pometum?
  • Why is it important to pair both genomic and phenotypic data?
  • How can knowing differing sugar ratios improve apple products, such as ciders or wines?

If you would like more information about this topic, this episode\u2019s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.3835/plantgenome2018.12.0104\xa0

This paper is always freely available.

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Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don\u2019t forget to subscribe.

If you would like to reach out to Zo\xeb, you can find her here:
Zoe.Migicovsky@Dal.Ca
Twitter: @Zoemig
Her lab Twitter: @foodimprover
http://www.zoemigicovsky.com/

If you would like to reach out to Carsten, you can find him here:
cpr@plen.ku.dk

Resources

CEU Quiz: http://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/818\xa0

Dalhousie University site: http://www.cultivatingdiversity.org/

Zoe\u2019s personal site: http://www.zoemigicovsky.com/

The Pometum: https://plen.ku.dk/english/about/pfv/the-pometum/

The apple key: https://www.nordgen.org/nak/?chglang=ENG

Crowd breeding program (in Danish): https://pometet.dk/projekter/aebleoasen/

Related Papers:

\u201cGenome to Phenome Mapping in Apple Using Historical Data\u201d: dx.doi.org/10.3835/plantgenome2015.11.0113

\u201cUsing Living Germplasm Collections to Characterize, Improve, and Conserve Woody Perennials\u201d: dx.doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2019.05.0353

\u201cGenome-wide association studies in apple reveal loci of large effect controlling apple polyphenols\u201d: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41438-019-0190-y

\u201cPopulation structure, relatedness and ploidy levels in an apple gene bank revealed through genotyping-by-sequencing\u201d: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201889

Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.