This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A bad apple doesn't always ruin the bunch. In fact, it might make the bunch a little stronger.
A new study published in Horticulture Research by Ben Mansfeld, an assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, provides apple breeders with a genomic resource to help harness the power of humble crabapples. The study examines the genetics of Malus angustifolia.
This apple, also known as the Southern crabapple, is one of four native crabapple species in North America, and it's filled with untapped genetic information. "These species are really not included in the history of the breeding and domestication of apples at all," Mansfeld said. "They're what we call a genetic treasure trove." Mansfeld is familiar with the potential of these crabapples.
Together with Christopher Gottschalk at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Mansfeld has assembled the genome of another North American native, the Pacific crabapple, and investigated its resistance to fire blight, a common and deadly bacterial disease. The Southern crabapple has a combination of traits: It is remarkably resistant to both fire blight and abiotic stressors.
That means it has evolved to thrive in conditions that commercial apple varieties struggle with, including high temperatures, drought and severe weather. As climate change continues to increase the frequency of these less-than-ideal conditions, identifying genetic traits that can help crops adapt is becoming more important. This is especially true for perennial crops such as apples, which grow year after year from the same plant.
"You're not planting for next year," Mansfeld explained. "You're planning for the next 25 years." Historically, researchers have lacked the tools to fully understand the genetics associated with the Southern crabapple's stress response. While a small collection of trees is housed at the USDA Apple Collection in Geneva, N.Y., there are not enough of them for proper genetic studies.
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