A team of researchers from the Strawberry Genetic Improvement and Biotechnology group at the Andalusian Institute of Agricultural, Fisheries, Food, and Ecological Production Research and Training (Ifapa) in Málaga has pinpointed specific regions of the strawberry genome that enhance fruit firmness.
This breakthrough has led to the development of a molecular marker that can be used to more efficiently select strawberry varieties with up to 50% greater firmness.
The study analyzed 124 strawberry accessions from the Fragaria Germplasm Bank housed at the Ifapa center in Málaga. Researchers evaluated 26 agronomic and fruit quality traits, including size, firmness, sugar content, and vitamin C levels.
Study results
The findings revealed that genetic improvement has positively influenced traits such as fruit size and firmness. However, these improvements have had a negative impact on other important characteristics, such as sugar content and vitamin C levels.
Additionally, the researchers identified specific genomic regions associated with key traits, including one located on chromosome 6A that affects fruit firmness.
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In this context, Ifapa researchers discovered that this effect is linked to the expression of a gene called FaPG1, which regulates fruit firmness. Based on this discovery, they developed a molecular marker with the potential to more efficiently select firmer strawberry varieties.
Development of new strawberry varieties
Creating new strawberry varieties is a lengthy and complex process, as it involves improving numerous traits related to cultivation and fruit quality. However, advances in genetics now allow for the use of tools such as DNA markers to identify specific traits.
The results of this study, co-funded by the State Research Agency, the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, and European FEDER funds, have been published in the article “Genome-wide association studies in a diverse strawberry collection unveil loci controlling agronomic and fruit quality traits” in the December edition of the scientific journal The Plant Genome.
