Study on cherry resources located in China and breeding progress of Chinese cherry [Cerasus pseudocerasus (Lindl.) G.Don]

Chinese cherry [Cerasus pseudocerasus (Lindl.) G.Don], is an economically important fruit crop in China. Native to China, it is precocious, of high ornamental value, with a delicious taste and rich in nutrients. With funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Sichuan Provincial Youth Science and Technology Innovation Research Team, our research group has been conducting field investigations to collect, identify and evaluate 1,000 cherry germplasm resources – including cultivated and wild Chinese cherry – from 32 species or varieties within Cerasus from 12 provinces across China. Based upon these collections, we have established a Cherry Resource Sharing and Service Platform and a Cherry Germplasm Repository in Sichuan Province. We have illustrated the genetic diversity, population structure, origin, and domestication history of fruiting cherries with extensive and typical cherry samples based on morphological, molecular markers and genomic profiling. The cultivated Chinese cherry originated from the wild Chinese cherry populations found in the Longmenshan Fault Zone, on the eastern edge of the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains. A novel genomic-SSR marker has been identified, being species-specific in Chinese cherry, which can be used in accurately identifying Chinese cherry and its interspecific hybrids. Our group has carried out a cross breeding program to cultivate new varieties of Chinese cherry with early-ripening, large fruit size, sweet flavor, and improved shelf life. An index system for Chinese cherry DUS testing has been established based on 38 phenotypic characters with over 1,000 representative Chinese cherry samples. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of hybrids, 40 new cultivars, named ‘Meiren’ series, have been selected. We will attempt to construct a high-density genetic map, undertake QTL mapping and candidate gene discovery, and establish a database on Cherry Genomics, Genetics and Breeding, to accelerate the molecular-assistant selection and genetic improvement of Chinese cherry. Yan Wang is a lecturer at the College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, China, studying Pomology Germplasm Innovation and Genetic Improvement, under the supervision of Prof. Xiaorong Wang

Yan Wang won the ISHS Young Minds Award for the best oral presentation at the IX International Cherry Symposium in China in May 2023.

Yan Wang, Department of Pomology, College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China, e-mail: wangyanwxy@sicau.edu.cn

The article is available in Chronica Horticulturae