Station of apple breeding for disease resistance

Contacts
Group head: 
Jaroslav Tupý
Centre: 
Lysolaje
Address: 
Rozvojova 263, 165 02 Praha 6
Email: 
tupyatueb [dot] cas [dot] cz
Phone: 
+420 225 106 493

Station Address: Station of apple breeding for disease resistance, 463 45 Pěnčín u Liberce
Tel.: +420 485 177 430
Fax.: +420 485 177 430
              
Head of the Střížovice Station: Ing. Jaroslav Tupý, DrSc.
Email: tupy@ueb.cas.cz
Tel.: +420 225 106 493
    

Research objectives of the Station

The research activity of the Station is focused on research of resistance against diseases in apples and on breeding of scab resistant and powdery mildew tolerant apple varieties. Breeding for resistance to these diseases has a high priority throughout the world in view of minimizing the use of chemicals in fruit production. The most frequent problems of commercialization of resistant varieties are unsatisfactory organoleptic fruit qualities. In our program started in 1966 we use hybrids with Vf resistance against scab from Malus floribunda and cultivars with polygenic tolerance against scab and mildew.

A series of varieties with a broad spectrum of ripening time, fruit qualities and growing properties has been released from this program. The varieties are protected by Plant Variety Rights in Czech Republic, Switzerland and in the European Union and by United States patent.

Our ongoing research is focused on further improvement of commercial qualities of resistant varieties and on a combination of Vf resistance with tolerances against scab encoded polygenically in order to render scab resistance more durable. In relation to these objectives genetic sources homozygous in the gene Vf are created using molecular markers for their identification and attemps are made to find molecular markers for other types of scab resistance.

Propagation of the new varieties requires a licence agreement and payment of royalties. The varieties are grown for commercial fruit production in countries of the European union and  in the USA mainly as organic apple production. The mostly grown is at the present time the variety Topaz and its mutation Red Topaz.  The yellow coloured varieties Opal®, Orion, Luna and Sirius are introduced into the market in Europa and maditerranean countries under the Golden Sunshine Line ® (GSL) marketing concept of the German society webfruit GmbH. In North America they are licensed to Varieties International LLC Dundee, OR97115.

The Station is also involved in breeding of disease resistant varieties with compact columnar growth habit using varieties derived from the "Wijcik" mutant of McIntosh. One variety, Sonet, is protected in Czech Republic and several varieties were applied for Community Plant Variety Rights in the European Union (Cactus, Goldlane, Moonlight, Redlane, Redspring, Rhapsodie, Rondo, Sonate, Sunlight). These varieties are commercialized in the European Union mainly for home gardens.

The inventors of the varieties are employees of the Institute and the latter is the owner of the varieties.

  

Selected varieties to which plant protection in the European union or in the USA has been granted since the year 2005:

2012: 
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety ADMIRAL
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 31550 from 20.02.2012
  
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety MERKUR
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 31549 from 20.02.2012
  
2011: 
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety CACTUS
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 30092 from 23.05.2011
 
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety KARNEVAL
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 29620 from 18.04.2011
 
2010:
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety GOLDLANE
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 26963 from 22.03.2010
United States patent PP21,413 from 26.10.2010 
        
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety MOONLIGHT
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 26759 from 22.02.2010
United States patent PP21,511 from 23.11.2010
 
2009:
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety SHALIMAR
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 25472 from 22.06.2009
  
2008:
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety ROZELA
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 22308 from 05.05.2008
 
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety HELIODOR
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 23532 from 13.10.2008
 
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety LUNA
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 22063 from 07.04.2008
United States patent PP16,084 from 01.11.2005 as UEB 3375/2
 
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus Mill. variety ORION
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 16765 from 30.01.2006
United States patent PP19,276 from 30.09.2008 
 
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety SIRIUS
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 20805 from 24.08.2007
United States patent  PP18,541 from 04.03.2008 
 
Tupý, J., Louda, O.: Malus Mill. variety RED TOPAZ
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 1700 from 27.02.2006
United States patent PP18,895 from 10.06.2008
 
2006:
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus domestica Borkh. variety AMETYST
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 16764 from 30.01.2006
   
Tupý, J., Louda, O., Zima, J.: Malus Mill.  OPAL® (UEB 32642 cv.)
Community Plant Variety Rights EU 16749 from 30.01.2006
United States patent PP15,963 from 13.09.2005 as UEB 3264/2
      
Keywords: Apple, resistance against diseases, scab, mildew, breeding of resistant varieties, compact columnar forms
 

Group of plant-pathogen inetractions

Plant-pathogen interaction leads to activation of specific genes followed by synthesis of proteins or enzymes engaged in host defense reactions. An important process of gene expression regulation involves chemical modifications of specific residues on histones that remodel chromatin from a tightly coiled, functionally repressive conformation (heterochromatin) to a relatively relaxed structure (euchromatin) that is readily accessible to transcription factors and hence biologically active. A vital step in understanding how genes are expressed or are not expressed (silent) was discovery of histone methylation, an initiating event in silencing of genes, and histone methyl transferase (HMT), the enzyme that drives methylation, is therefore of great topical interest. A conserved region of some 130 amino acid residues, termed the SET domain, is the core element of HMT.
The basic research of the laboratory is concerned with functional characterization of SET domain in Arabidopsis thaliana and is mainly focused on two recently discovered HMT isoforms in K23 mutant. These two isoforms, termed  α and β, are apparently created by alternative RNA splicing.
The current work is concentrated on characterization of the functions of HMT K23 and of two additional Arabidopsis SuvR SET domain subfamily members and on determination if there is any interaction between the two isoforms,  α and β. Since the domain architecture of HMT K23 closely parallels that of DIM-5 of Neurospora, the only HMT in this organism, the possible complementation with Neurospora mutants DIM-5 is also studied. If these experiments are successful, this approach can be used as a rapid screen for HMT activity of other plant (or animal) SET proteins.

In the field of applied research, the laboratory is involved in molecular biology of resistance against apple scab caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis.

Workers

Workers: 

senior scientist

scientist

scientific assistant

graduated technical assistant

technician

maintenance

Research projects

Research projects: 

Publications

Publications: 
Number of publications: 15

2010

2009

2007