East Malling Rootstock Breeding Club Policy Group
PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
Minutes of a meeting of the
EAST MALLING ROOTSTOCK BREEDING CLUB POLICY GROUP
held on 25th January 2013at 09:00 in the Shell Meeting Room, East Malling Research
Present:
Bruno Essner (BE)INN (Mondial Fruit Selection, France)
Feli Fernández (FF)East Malling Research
Ian Hardie (IH)East Malling Research
(Present only for the 1st agenda item)
Alessio Martinelli (AM)INN (CIV, Italy)
David Simpson(DS) ChairmanEast Malling Research
Andrew Tinsley (AT)HDC
Adam Whitehouse (AW)East Malling Research
Apologises received from Gary Saunders (East Malling Research)
1)Renewal/extension of contracts
IH informed the group that the intention was to keep the terms of the contract the same as the previous tranche of funding with the project being a continuation. The subscriptions to the Club stood at £50, 274 (INN) and £14,490 (HDC) and these would be subject to an annual inflationary increase (3%). It was agreed that a continuation of the project for a further two years would need to be made in March 2014. AT asked that all paperwork relating to the contract be send directly to Dr Bill Parker (Director of Horticulture, HDC/AHDB).
ACTION: Ian Hardie to send contracts out to INN and HDC. For the HDC this should be sent directly to Dr Bill Parker.
2)Minutes of the last meeting/matters arising
FFindicated that a couple of points from the minutes need clarifying as she had been confused by the action points regarding propagation. Minutes amended accordingly.
AM suggested that only the most promising selections should be introduced into tissue culture, but each genotype may need a specific medium. He suggested that this work could be delegated to a commercial tissue culture lab where a fixed price per plant was agreed in advance and the onus would be on the lab to select or develop each media.
FF asked if selections that were difficult to propagate should be discarded. BE suggested that this could be considered for apples, but for not for Pyrus types where it was common practise to propagate in tissue culture. He did remind the group however that it was still very desirable to develop Pyrus-types that worked well in stool beds.
The chairman read through the remaining action points and the actions were discussed:
Feli Fernándezto attempt reversing the M561 cross in 2013, using Geneva 30 as the female parent
Carry forward
ACTION:Feli Fernández to attempt reversing the M561 cross in 2013, using Geneva 30 as the female parent
Feli Fernándezto ensure that seed from the 2011 pear crosses is sown in 2013
Carry forward
ACTION:Feli Fernández to ensure that seed from the 2011 pear crosses is sown in 2013
Feli Fernández to ensure that advanced selections and parents are screened with the available markers linked to WAA and fireblight resistance
Ongoing – FF explained that the technician who would carry out this work had left to take up a PhD studentship, but that a replacement had been appointed and was due to start in February. BE stated that it was very important that the advanced selections are characterised for both fireblight and WAA. FF informed the group that she was drawing up a table to show which published markers were likely to be relevant to each selection based on pedigrees. However, she reiterated that not all markers are published and therefore some primers, where possible, would have to be designed by the EMR team in winter 2013-14.
ACTION:Feli Fernández to ensure that advanced selections and parents are screened with the available markers linked to WAA and fireblight resistance
Adam Whitehouseto upload a PDF version of the germplasm database to the members’ area of the EMRC website before the next Board meeting.
Completed – AW informed the group that the PDF was now on the website. AM/BE both asked for confirmation of the website address and password. FF said that she would distribute these details to all members following the meeting. AT mentioned the use of ‘SharePoint’ for projects which would allow documents, etc. to be uploaded and viewed by a designated group of people.
ACTION:Feli Fernández to distribute the Club’s web address and password to all members
ACTION:Adam Whitehouse to investigate the use‘SharePoint’ or ‘DropBox’ for the RootstockBreeding Club
Feli Fernández to check fingerprinting data on EMA/EMC for plots DM177 and DM178.
Ongoing – FF explained that this would be completed in time for the annual report
ACTION:Feli Fernández to check fingerprinting data on EMA/EMC for plots DM177 and DM178 and report back to the group via the annual report
Feli Fernández to check PQ34-3 mother trees again in 2013 with a view to propagate after review of the final data analysis
Completed – FF reported that she had been able to distinguish between the trees and that cuttings would be taken.
ACTION:Feli Fernández to propagate PQ34-3 trees
Feli Fernández to contact Gary Saunders to check that data from trials, including observations on AR628-2/Bramley compatibility/health as well as more details on the performance of AR680-2 to the whole group had been circulated.
Ongoing – FF explained that she wouldfollow this up with Gary Saunders
ACTION:Feli Fernández to contact Gary Saunders to check that data from trials, including observations on AR628-2/Bramley compatibility/health as well as more details on the performance of AR680-2 to the whole group had been circulated.
Results of INN trials
Bruno Essner to send some material of C132 to Feli Fernández this winter
Completed – BE informed the group that he had material with him to pass onto FF. He also told the group that he understood that some of the original mother trees from East Malling were in The Netherlands (c/o Frank Maas?). FE suggested that Bruno’s trees should be marked as ‘C132-INN’ and that these could be tested against the original material if it could be located.
ACTION:Feli Fernándezto label Bruno Essner’s trees as C132-INN, and test against the original stock if it can be accessed from the Nerherlands.
Feli Fernández and Adam Whitehouse to record flowering and fruiting characteristics of AR295-6 to add to the US patent application.
Ongoing
ACTION:Feli Fernández and Adam Whitehouse to record flowering and fruiting characteristics of AR295-6 to add to the US patent application.
Overall project review 2008-2012 and discussion of proposal continuation
Feli Fernández and Adam Whitehouse to attempt to identify a protocol that may be used to screen for resistance to Phytophthora in rootstocks.
Ongoing – FF informed the group that she had found some reference to tests from the 1980s and a pot test was the method that should be considered, possibly using a zoospore drench. However she explained that this was likely to be a harsh test. Ultimately markers would present the best method of identifying resistance. Dr Robert Saville (EMR) had started to collect isolates from infected sites that could be used in a pot test.
ACTION:Feli Fernández and Adam Whitehouse to attempt to identify a protocol that may be used to screen for resistance to Phytophthora in rootstocks.
Any other business
Feli Fernández to despatch long shots or budwood of R59 and AR809-3 to Bruno Essner as soon as possible.
Feli Fernández to fingerprint PQ34 mother trees with view to send wood to Alessio Martinelli as soon as possible.
Ongoing – FF stated that the PQ34 mother trees had been fingerprinted and that wood was currently being collected for dispatch.
- EMR update on progress during 2012:
a)Crossing programme
Feli Fernández to repeat crosses in 2013 of any of those that had failed or led to poor set in 2012. In the case of crosses involving Pyronia then saved pollen from 2012 could be used.
Carry forward
ACTION:Feli Fernández to repeat crosses in 2013 of any of those that had failed or led to poor set in 2012. In the case of crosses involving Pyronia then saved pollen from 2012 could be used.
i)Propagation of selections for trial
Feli Fernández to organise cuttings to be taken from advanced selections in both the trial and glasshouse.
Completed
Feli Fernández to make enquires with EMR glasshouse staff about the possibility of budding selection material rather than lifting rooted suckers.
Ongoing – FF had spoken to glasshouse staff but had not received a positive response as there was no nursery system in place. FF has not abandoned the idea though.
Feli Fernández to explore the possibilities of lifting selections from the field to be potted up and maintained in the glasshouse area at EMR.
Completed – FF will arrange for some selections to be lifted from the field in 2013. This will be done after cuttings have been taken. The tree will be cut down, re-growth will be collected and grafted into red or green leaf as appropriate. Once this had been done then the original tree will be lifted.
Feli Fernández/Adam Whitehouse to arrange for high grafts using ‘Conference’ to be carried out on pear selections in January 2013, and ensure the graft was checked at a later date so that any failed grafts could be substituted by budding in May 2013.
Ongoing – Waiting for Quince A/C to be delivered to graft to.
j)EMR-HDC trials
Adam Whitehouse to enquire with Gary Saunders about the reason for ‘Bramley’ being used as a scion on one of the EE195 plots.
Completed – AW had spoken to GS who reported that EE195 had been planted in 2003 when ‘Bramley’ and ‘Cox’ were considered the most dominant varieties at the time.
Bruno Essner to report back to FF with details of the rooting and viability of selections AR360-19, AR69-7, AR628-2
Completed – BE reported that there had been compatibility problems with AR628-2, trees were alive but sick. AR360-19 and AR69-7 had not been tested as he had never had rooted plants.
k)Pest and disease testing
Feli Fernández to organise for selections in the 2012 woolly apple aphid screening experiment to be retested in 2013. Feli Fernández should request additional material of these selections from Bruno Essner, if required.
Ongoing – FFinformed the group that group that this test would be repeated. She had taken some more cuttings to be tested, but agreed to get in touch with BE if there was any further material she needed.
ACTION:Feli Fernández to request any material needed for WAA screening in 2013 from Bruno Essner if required.
l)Selections from the seedling plot
Feli Fernández email out the document showing progression of selections to members and upload onto the webpage
Carry forward – FF had not emailed out this document but would ensure it was uploaded to the webpage.
ACTION:Feli Fernández to upload the document showing progression of selections
- Any other business
Bruno Essner to confirm if he is able to host the September 2013 Policy Group meeting in France
Completed – BE suggested there were a couple of options for this meeting, but he would discuss these with INN at their meeting in late February. He suggested the meeting would be after the 15th September.
ACTION:Bruno Essner to discuss with INN, and then propose a date and itinerary for the policy group meeting in September 2013.
- Date of next meeting
Feli Fernández to contact members to confirm the date of January 2013 meeting. This has subsequently been agreed as Friday 25th January, 09:00
Competed
FF was asked to reword a couple of sections but otherwise these were accepted as a true record of the September 2012 meeting.
3)Update on breeding activities
a)Breeding
i)Crosses and seed from 2012
FF distributed a report (attached) summarising progress since the last meeting. She discussed the poor fruit set on the apple and pear crosses and suggested that the exceptionally cool and wet conditions in summer 2012 had affected fruit set. Therefore open-pollinated seed lots and seed that had been set aside from previous years were used to supplement the number of seeds sown in January 2013.
ii)Propagation
FF explained that apple selections made in 2012 would be cut down in February 2013 in order to stimulate new growth to be taken for propagation in 2013-14. Shoots from selections already in the pipeline (see Table 3, attached report) were currently being collected and would be placed in heated bins for rooting in February 2013. She also stated that the hedges on Scotts Field were being repropagated, with a planting due to go in the ground in Spring 2013. A plot plan showing which selections were included would be included in the 2013 Annual Report. No hedges would be grubbed until the new planting had been shown to establish well. FF also reported that the apple gene bank (rootstock collection and species) was being re-propagated to be used as a resource but she explained that many of the genotypes needed to be re-characterised.
For pears, wood is currently being collected for those selections where there were insufficient trees for trial (see Table 4, attached report). Where there 4 or more rooted cuttings these will be grafted with ‘Conference’ as soon as the QA and QC control stocks arrive. Where there are 4 rooted cuttings, these will be maintained as mother plants. FF suggested that if rooting wasn’t successful with PQ37 selections by the third attempt then these selections should be dropped. PQ34 and PQ35 series of selections would remain in Scott’s Field even though the apple selections would be moved as the pears were currently in a manageable and sensible arrangement within this plot.
iii)Pest and disease
FF explained that material for fireblight screening would be included with material from the Lubera programme. This would include up to 10 selections that would be despatched to Germany for testing.
FFindicated that the woolly apple aphid screening experiment would be repeated in 2013, and as mentioned earlier in the meeting she would request any material that was not available at EMR from BE.
iv)Crosses 2013
FF explained that she would be repeating crosses that had failed in 2012. She explained that hedges had not been pruned to ensure that no flowering wood had would be cut out. She expected Pyrodwarf-types to flower and also hoped to use a Malus scion ‘Sally’ from the Lubera programme as a parent as it showed compact habit. BE emphasised that seed production for 2013 needed to be good and if necessary extra crosses should be made to ensure that seed number was higher. FF agreed, explaining that all the team’s resources would be dedicated to ensuring crosses, and the results from 2012 had been unfortunate, citing crosses involving M27 that normally gave excellent fruit set but had that had been poor in 2012 due to the weather.
4)Update on EMR and HDC trials
In the absence of Gary Saunders, AW reported that only some fruit yield results had been returned but that vigour records were still being collected and that a summary of all the results would be compiled and sent out to all members once the remaining trial data had been updated. AW informed the group that Gary Saunders had submitted a new proposal to HDC to include new, additional material from the DM177 and DM178 trials.
ACTION:Adam Whitehouse to ensure that outstanding data on vigour is collected and a summary of the results is sent out to all members once it has been summarised.
5)Update on INN trials
BE explained that not all the vigour records had been collected from the INN trial plots but that he would write a report and circulate the data once it had been collected and summarised. He hoped that the final data would be collected before the end of February. BE indicated that 2012 had also been an unusual year with Williams pear having no crop. Summarising some of the results he had obtained he explained that AR295-6 was still looking good as were AR10-2-5 and AR10-2-39.
BE had also sent out a distribution list indicating which selections had been sent where. He asked that everything that was on this list should be tested for fireblight resistance. FF offered to prepare a list of the materiel she has on this list and would like to ask BE to provide any material where she doesn’t have sufficient material.
BE informed the group that the first stool bed of AR295-6 would be planted in 2014 if the tissue culture step was successful.
ACTION:Feli Fernández to include all selections on the distribution list (provided by Bruno Essner) in the fireblight screening. If there are insufficient numbers of any one selection then these should be requested from Bruno Essner.
6)Update on database
AW informed the group that the apple and pear germplasm database had been uploaded to the EM Rootstock website and that further progress would be made as information on selections was received. It would be useful to populate the database with information from characterisation of the genebank when this took place. AM/BE asked for the details of the URL and username/passwords required to access the rootstock website. FF agreed to circulate the details, by email, following the meeting.
ACTION:Feli Fernández to email the URL and username/passwords required to access the EM Rootstock website.
7)Requests for international collaboration
FF informed the group that Kate Evans (Breeder, Washington State University) had some funding to introduce PQ material into the US for trialling and that the cost of producing high health status material for the US could be met via this funding. BE asked that it be made very clear what material belonged to INN and that if any material was sent to the US then they should have access to it. AM stated that material would need to be supervised and managedby an INN member. He agreed that it would be useful to have material tested correctly, but that the commercialisation rights to this material should be with INN. BE asked that whatever material was despatched should be the same material that was available to INN members at the same time.BE/AM suggested that a trial agreement be drawn up by IH, and that this should be forwarded to INN to be discussed with their US partners.