The research will lead to new apple varieties
for New Zealand orchards.
Image: iStockphoto
Dr Richard Espley from the University of Auckland and Plant & Food Research has deciphered the DNA code that controls production of red pigment in apple flesh – a scientific advance that is already being used to help breeders develop new apple varieties for New Zealand orchards and the export market.
The research won Dr Espley prizes for scientific achievement and commercial potential at the MacDiarmid Young Scientist of the Year Awards.
His work is part of ongoing research into anthocyanins – pigments that are produced by most plants and which range in colour from red through to purple and blue.
As well as making fruit more attractive, anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants and there is growing evidence that they have health benefits. These attributes have seen scientists around the world focusing on their potential for crop improvement.
For apple breeders, the goal is to create flavoursome fruit that have the pigment in their flesh as well as the skin. While red-fleshed apples grow wild in Central Asia they are generally unpleasant to eat, and the challenge is to combine the health and aesthetic benefits of red flesh with the superior flavour of white-fleshed varieties. Dr Espley’s research will accelerate the development process and the final product will be a premium apple variety with significant economic potential for New Zealand growers.
As well as opening up new avenues for apple breeding, Dr Espley’s research has exciting potential for other cultivated plants. Anthocyanins are not only found in apples and other fruit, but in all plant tissues, giving colour to flowers and protecting leaves against sun-damage amongst other roles, so the opportunities are vast.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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