Applications of SNP-based apple pedigree-identification to regionally specific germplasm collections and breeding programs
Résumé
A wealth of previously unknown pedigree information has been generated for apple (Malus × domestica) through recent publications and through an ongoing pedigree identification project using SNP array data. This information has been postulated to be useful in a number of ways for germplasm collections and breeding programs. For example, pedigree information is an important part of genetic characterization of material in germplasm collections. Germplasm collections often seek to preserve cultivars that currently lack commercial relevance but have regional or historical significance or are phenotypically interesting. Pedigree information is often limited on such material. With pedigree information, an accurate genetic structure of these collections can be conveyed to breeders who wish to incorporate novel germplasm into new cultivars.