Articles
Innovative approaches for fast breeding and improvement of Actinidia species
Article number
1431_19
Pages
143 – 150
Language
English
Abstract
The genus Actinidia has more than 50 species, displaying wide phenotypic diversity, providing a rich genetic resource for de novo domestication and continual cultivar improvement.
All Actinidia are dioecious and deciduous woody perennial plants with a vine growth habit.
Their extended juvenile period, high heterozygosity and linkage drag of undesirable traits represent some of the main barriers in breeding.
Genome editing allows for targeted mutagenesis, which has opened up a new era of accelerated improvement of woody fruit crops.
Previously we used CRISPR/Cas9 to mutagenize the flowering repressor CENTRORADIALIS genes CEN and CEN4 in a diploid kiwifruit A. chinensis. We also manipulated sex-determining genes to induce hermaphroditism using expression of the FRIENDLY BOY (FrBy) transgene in a female, or mutagenesis by gene editing of SHY GIRL (SyGl) in a male A. chinensis. In this study, we demonstrate progress toward fast breeding and improvement of another two taxonomically distant Actinidia species, a large-fruited diploid A. eriantha and a tetraploid A. arguta that produces highly nutritious small fruit with smooth edible skin.
As in kiwifruit, gene-editing of CEN and CEN4 genes resulted in consistent phenotypes of compact growth habit, precocity and constant, year-round flowering and fruiting.
The ability to perform multiple rounds of crossings in a year opens the possibility of adopting advanced breeding strategies, such as repeated backcrossing, induction of hermaphroditism and chromosome doubling enabling interspecific and interploidy crosses, to edit for high-value traits or to transfer desired traits from wild germplasm to commercial cultivars.
These approaches can accelerate domestication and development of new varieties across the genus Actinidia.
All Actinidia are dioecious and deciduous woody perennial plants with a vine growth habit.
Their extended juvenile period, high heterozygosity and linkage drag of undesirable traits represent some of the main barriers in breeding.
Genome editing allows for targeted mutagenesis, which has opened up a new era of accelerated improvement of woody fruit crops.
Previously we used CRISPR/Cas9 to mutagenize the flowering repressor CENTRORADIALIS genes CEN and CEN4 in a diploid kiwifruit A. chinensis. We also manipulated sex-determining genes to induce hermaphroditism using expression of the FRIENDLY BOY (FrBy) transgene in a female, or mutagenesis by gene editing of SHY GIRL (SyGl) in a male A. chinensis. In this study, we demonstrate progress toward fast breeding and improvement of another two taxonomically distant Actinidia species, a large-fruited diploid A. eriantha and a tetraploid A. arguta that produces highly nutritious small fruit with smooth edible skin.
As in kiwifruit, gene-editing of CEN and CEN4 genes resulted in consistent phenotypes of compact growth habit, precocity and constant, year-round flowering and fruiting.
The ability to perform multiple rounds of crossings in a year opens the possibility of adopting advanced breeding strategies, such as repeated backcrossing, induction of hermaphroditism and chromosome doubling enabling interspecific and interploidy crosses, to edit for high-value traits or to transfer desired traits from wild germplasm to commercial cultivars.
These approaches can accelerate domestication and development of new varieties across the genus Actinidia.
Publication
Authors
T. Wang, D. Herath, C. Voogd, B. Fulton, J. Putterill, A.C. Allan, E. Varkonyi-Gasic
Keywords
Actinidia arguta, Actinidia eriantha, chromosome doubling, early flowering, genome editing, plant transformation
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