Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Breeding”
Recent Chinese research offers a fresh, strategic blueprint for engineering cold tolerance in citrus. The study reveals that in Citrus ichangensis, a frost-hardy wild citrus relative, the expression of the protective protein CiHSP26.5 is not just turned on or off. Rather, it is fine-tuned over time by two transcription factors, CiERF023 and CiERF041, which serve as its repressor and activator, …
Despite cancer-related ills in recent years, citrus breeder Fred Gmitter continued his work passion, which included development of trees that were more tolerant of or resistant to HLB. “That was our mission,” said Jude Grosser, his fellow citrus breeder at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. Grosser said Gmitter continued …
Editing a plant’s genes is only half the battle. Before a new, improved trait can ever reach a farmer’s field, scientists must be able to grow a whole plant from just a few edited cells. That process can be slow, unreliable and, for some plant species, impossible. A new study describes a way to speed up that bottleneck across crops, …
Following the discovery of non-commercial citrus plants resistant to greening disease, Fundecitrus researchers in the field of biotechnology have been working to understand the mechanisms underlying this resistance. The Brazilian scientists also seek to identify viable pathways for transferring these traits to commercial varieties. In 2019, hypotheses were confirmed showing that certain citrus species native to Oceania, such as Eremocitrus …
The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations has included additional funds in the fiscal year 2027 Agriculture Appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) citrus breeding program in Parlier, California. It is allocating an additional $500,000 in federal funding, on top of the $1.5 million previously granted, to expand the program into California. If approved, the program …
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Professor Peter Prentis will lead a $2.2 million study to investigate the genetic basis of several citrus traits. This includes disease resistance and plant growth habits. QUT researchers will work with members of the CRC Future Food Systems and Superior Production PTY LTD. The project is titled “Elucidating the genetic basis of disease, dwarfing, seedlessness …
The urgency to find a solution to huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, is why citrus is an initial focus of Florida’s Crop Transformation Center (CTC). The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the state’s citrus industry established the center three years ago. Through the CTC, faculty at the main UF campus in …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) citrus breeding team hosted a field day on Nov. 19 at the UF/IFAS Eagle Lake Block. The Eagle Lake Block is a 30-acre property that was gifted to CREC as part of the Jim Hughes estate. The grove tour featured several selections being …
A University of Connecticut researcher recently made advancements in citrus gene editing techniques to reduce the drawbacks of traditional methods. The researcher is Yi Li, professor of horticultural plant breeding biotechnology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. BACKGROUND Scientists employ genome-editing technologies to precisely modify a plant’s own genes, either by inactivating or activating specific target genes …
The characteristic sour-sweet balance of citrus fruits is largely defined by citric acid accumulation in the vacuoles of juice sacs. Previous studies identified several proteins — such as CsPH8, CsAN1 and CsPH4 — that control acid storage and transport. However, little was known about the CsAN11 protein. Many citrus cultivars exhibit wide variations in acidity, even among closely related varieties, …
By Manjul Dutt Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a series outlining how genetic technology can be using in citrus breeding. Traditional methods for improving citrus, such as crossbreeding different varieties, can be time-consuming due to the creation of a random mix of genes from both parents through a process called genetic introgression. In the article last month, …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is the new home for Breeding Insight, a federally funded program supporting public plant breeding efforts. Breeding Insight, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, supports public breeding efforts via more than 61 programs at the USDA as well as university-based programs across the country. …
By Manjul Dutt Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of two articles on plant improvement. Next month will feature the timeline for CRISPR-developed trees. Traditional methods for improving citrus, such as crossbreeding different varieties, can be time-consuming due to the creation of a random mix of genes from both parents through a process called genetic introgression, leading …
Researcher Manjul Dutt told a Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo audience in August why it can take up to 14 years to get a genetically modified citrus tree from discovery to commercial release. He also discussed the transgenic citrus progress at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), where he is an assistant professor at the …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers have made significant progress in finding ways to manage citrus greening disease. But solutions needs to be expedited for the sake of the citrus industry’s future in Florida. Scott Angle, UF/IFAS senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, emphasized that point during last week’s Citrus & Specialty Crop …
In 2012, Jennifer Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier and their research team published a paper in the journal Science describing the CRISPR-Cas9 system as a precise gene-editing tool. It was considered a major scientific breakthrough with huge possibilities in human medicine and in agriculture. Doudna and Charpentier were awarded the Noble Peace Prize in chemistry in 2020 for their pioneering work with …
A new tool has allowed researchers probe the metabolic processes occurring within the leaves, stems and roots of clementine citrus trees. The goal is to improve the yields, flavor and nutritional value of citrus and non-citrus crops. To build the tool, the team — led by the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) researchers — focused on the …
By Maegan Beatty On Feb. 18, Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter hosted an online informational session on new citrus varieties and how to plant a profitable crop in the future. Both Grosser and Gmitter are part of the citrus improvement team at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. Their main …
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP About 18 months ago, Matt Joyner, Kyle Story, Morgan McKenna Porter, Emery Smith and other Florida citrus leaders visited me in Gainesville. Together, we shaped an idea to accelerate our search for solutions to HLB. The idea is already reality. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Crop Transformation Center …
Scientists have decoded the intricate metabolic profiles of citrus fruits, shedding light on the phenylpropanoid pathway. The pathway is a critical biosynthetic route for flavonoids and other phytonutrients known for their health benefits. By revealing the genetic mechanisms underlying these compounds, the research offers an approach to enhancing the nutritional value of citrus through innovative breeding and genetic improvement strategies. …
