apple whole genome sequences: recent advances and new prospects

Genetics: Apple genome sequencing begins to bear fruit Almost 10 years since the first draft of the apple genome was published, the insights it has afforded are being used to improve crops, while next generation DNA sequencing is enabling the breeding value of individual plants to be more rapidly assessed. In this review, Cameron Peace at Washington State University in Pullman, US, and colleagues describe the impact whole genome sequencing of the Golden Delicious apple has had on our understanding of how cultivated apples evolved, and the genomic regions controlling fruit firmness and flavor, tree growth dynamics, responses to water and nutrient availability, and other such traits. These early discoveries have also paved the way for trait-predictive tests which should further accelerate the breeding of improved apple trees, and epigenetic studies to better understand how environmental factors trigger heritable changes in apple characteristics.