| title: | Evaluation of economically important parameters and phenotypic and genetic traits in blackcurrant cultivars, elite selections and their pedigree in the Estonian breeding program |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF6801 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
4.2. Crop Sciences (inc. Horticulture) |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | Estonian University of Life Sciences |
| head of project: | Asta-Virve Libek |
| duration: | 01.01.2006 - 31.12.2009 |
| description: | The aim of the research is to improve the black currant breeding programme. In addition to traditional methods of monitoring phenological traits and gathering the data of economically important characteristics of perspective hybrids we aim to provide also genotyping information of the germplasm used. In this project, we plan to fingerprint Ribes nigrum genotypes used in the breeding programme in Polli in order to establish the distinctness, uniformity and stability of the new candidate cultivars, and to create a preliminary starting-point for further molecular identification of blackcurrant genotypes carrying economically useful traits. Genotyping will also help in selection of true hybrids in the progeny of hybridised pairs eliminating those, which originated as apomictic ones. As a result of marker analysis it is possible to reveal the genetic distance between genotypes used in the breeding programme and provides additional information for more precise planning of crosses for further hybridisations. The aim of the research is to reveal the properties of 4 new cultivars `Karri`, `Almo`, ´Ats`, `Elo` and 14 perspective selections of blackcurrant. Phenological traits like habit of growth, length of clusters, number of berries per cluster, self-fertilization, falling off of flowers and malformed berries, winterhardiness, resistance to gall mite and powderly mildew, yield, chemical composition of juice from berries (soluble solids, ascorbic acid and sugar content) will be monitored and compared to the characteristics of the pedigree. This research enables to evaluate new cultivars and perspective selections of black currant from several aspects. This serves the interest of both producers and processors interested in high nutritional value of the berries but also gives valuable theoretical information for scientists. Incorporating the use of contemporary molecular methods into breeding programmes is very important on the basis of rapid advances that are taking place in genetic studies across the plant sciences. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Kadri Järve | |||
| 2. | Ave Kikas | |||
| 3. | Asta-Virve Libek | Eesti Maaülikool | ||