David H. Byrne Department of Horticultural Sciences Texas A&M University College Station, TX

Texas A&M University  Vegetables and Fruits in your diet  Decrease the chances of having a heart attack or stroke  Lowers blood pressure

Texas A&M University  Probably lowers the risk of cancers of the  Esophagus  Stomach  Lung  Possibly reduces the risk of cancers of the  Mouth, pharynx, larynx  Colon-rectum  Kidney and urinary bladder International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization, Monumental review of the best research on fruits and vegetables and their effect on cancer incidence

 Grape  Pomengranate  Blueberry  Peach  Plum  Apple  Strawberry

CropWangVinsonSun Strawberry10060 Red grape Plum6331 Peach-1050 Blueberry-81 Apple Wang et al., 1996; Vinson et al., 2001; Sun et al., 2002

 Germplasm  Differences among genotypes within a crop?  Genetic manipulation  Target trait?  Genetic control and breeding approach  Cultivar testing and release

Texas A&M University

Conner et al., 2002

Cevallos-Casals et al., 2006; Vizzotto et al., 2007; Byrne et al., 2009

Conner et al., 2002

Cevallos-Casals et al., 2006; Vizzotto et al., 2007; Byrne et al., 2009

Conner et al., 2002

Cevallos-Casals et al., 2006; Vizzotto et al., 2007; Byrne et al., 2009

 Germplasm  Differences among genotypes within a crop?  Antioxidant activity  Total phenolics  Anthocyanins

 Cardiovascular health  LDL inhibition  Platelet aggregation  Cancer proliferation - in vitro assays  Breast cancer  Colon cancer  Prostate cancer

Peaches and nectarinesPlums Byrne et al., Health benefits of peaches and plums. Acta Hort. 841:

Peaches and nectarines Plums Byrne et al., Health benefits of peaches and plums. Acta Hort. 841:

 Germplasm  Differences among genotypes within a crop?  Genetic manipulation  Target trait?  Genetic control and breeding approach  Cultivar testing and release

 Antioxidants  Phenolics  Anthocyanins  LDL oxidation  Inhibition of cancer proliferation

 Scientific  Relevance of in vitro tests to human health?  Which phenolics are important?  Bio-availability?  Concentration needed to deliver health benefits?  Stability of trait over growing/processing conditions?  Marketing  Will it sell? Finley, Chronica Hort. 45:6-11; Sloan, Food Technology 4:25-44.

 Germplasm  Differences among fruit crops?  Differences among genotypes within a crop?  Genetic manipulation  Target trait?  Genetic control and breeding approach  Cultivar testing and release

 Blueberry genetics  Moderate heritability  AOA, 0.43  TPH, 0.46  ACY, 0.56 Conner et al., J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:82-88 Vizzotto et al, 2006; Chang et al., 2000

 High correlation between AOA and total phenolics  Potential to use TPH as selection criteria  Phenolics and sensory characteristics  Browning and peaches  Level of phenolics and polyphenol oxidase  Flavor? Conner et al., J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:82-88 Vizzotto et al, 2006; Chang et al., 2000

 Environmental Effect  Ranking of genotypes same  GxE = Genetic x Environmental Effect  Ranking of genotypes differ with environment Conner et al., J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:82-88; Vizzotto et al, 2006; Chang et al., 2000

 Environmental Effect  Ranking of genotypes same  GxE = Genetic x Environmental Effect  Ranking of genotypes differ with environment Conner et al., J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:82-88; Vizzotto et al, 2006; Chang et al., 2000

 Selection needs to occur over several environments  Years  Locations  Select for consistency over environments

 Traditional breeding  Recurrent mass selection  Cost of screening?  Other approaches  Marker assisted selection?  Transformation?

 Germplasm  Differences among genotypes within a crop?  Genetic manipulation  Target trait?  Genetic control and breeding approach  Cultivar testing and release