Breeding for Fruit Quality

Book excerpt: The global demand for high quality fruits that are rich in nutrients and that can endure the demands of worldwide supply chains is growing rapidly. Fruits are an important component of the human diet, providing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. All of these qualities contribute to the nutritional needs and health maintenance of humans. Breeding for Fruit Quality reviews the application of modern plant breeding methods to the development of improved varieties of fruits. Breeding for Fruit Quality opens with chapters that look at fruit biology and breeding strategies behind specific traits, including a look at traits such as organoleptic quality, nutritional value, and improved yield, among others. Subsequent chapters review breeding efforts to improve overall quality in a wide range of specific fruits. Providing broad ranging coverage of cutting edge methods now being applied to the development of fruit crops, Breeding for Fruit Quality will be a valuable resource for fruit biologists, breeders, geneticists, and industry personnel. Key Features: Broad coverage of modern breeding technologies being implemented to improve overall fruit quality Trait specific chapters explore efforts to promote traits of industrial and nutritional importance Chapters in fruits, ranging from apple and grapes to tomatoes and olives, provide detailed coverage of breeding practices for economically important fruit crops