Transgressive segregation, hopeful monsters, and phenotypic selection drove rapid genetic gains and breakthroughs in predictive breeding for quantitative resistance to in strawberry.

Two decades have passed since the strawberry () disease caused by , a necrotrophic soilborne fungal pathogen, began surfacing in California, Florida, and elsewhere. This disease has since become one of the most common causes of plant death and yield losses in strawberry. The problem emerged and expanded in the wake of the global phase-out of soil fumigation with methyl bromide and appears to have been aggravated by an increase in climate change-associated abiotic stresses.

Genome-Wide Association Mapping Uncovers , a Dominant Gene Conferring Resistance to Fusarium Wilt in Strawberry.

wilt, a soil-borne disease caused by the fungal pathogen f. sp. , threatens strawberry ( × ) production worldwide.

Fire Blight Resistance in Wild Accessions of Malus sieversii.

Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) is a devastating bacterial disease in apple that results in severe economic losses. Epidemics are becoming more common as susceptible cultivars and rootstocks are being planted, and control is becoming more difficult as antibiotic-resistant strains develop. Resistant germplasm currently being utilized by breeding programs tend to have small fruit size and poor flavor characteristics.

Cost and accuracy of advanced breeding trial designs in apple.

Trialing advanced candidates in tree fruit crops is expensive due to the long-term nature of the planting and labor-intensive evaluations required to make selection decisions. How closely the trait evaluations approximate the true trait value needs balancing with the cost of the program. Designs of field trials of advanced apple candidates in which reduced number of locations, the number of years and the number of harvests per year were modeled to investigate the effect on the cost and accuracy in an operational breeding program.