Fantastic, fresh, fragrant, flavoursome fruit!! Just like cars, clothes or music, fruit is a fashionable product. Cultivars come and go, and what is currently popular was not so a few years ago. Think back to when you were a child ... 'Goldmine' nectarines ... 'Wiggins' peaches ... 'Northern Spy' apples ... How many of the fruit you ate regularly can still be found in supermarkets today?

These fashion trends occur worldwide, and New Zealand must continue to develop innovative new cultivars to sustain its competitive advantage in export markets. HortResearch's plant breeding and improvement programmes span a vast range of fruit crops - apples, apricots, blueberries, boysenberries, cherries, citrus, kiwifruit, nectarines, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, raspberries, strawberries ... These programmes aim to develop exciting new cultivars with high marketable value, whilst recognizing the need of the New Zealand grower for reduced production costs.

This article reviews the current situation of the New Zealand fruit industry, its potential, and gives an overview of HortResearch's major fruit breeding and improvement programmes.

Value to New Zealand
Fresh fruits comprise a significant proportion of our horticultural exports, which have the potential to reach at least $ 2000 million by the year 2000, 10% of New Zealand's total export receipts. Currently almost two-thirds of the export value of horticultural produce ($1190 million in 1993) comes from fresh fruit. The two most valuable commodities, fresh apples and kiwifruit, contribute 60% of all horticultural exports.

In a recent review, the Fruit Research Council reports that "all sectors recognize the importance of R&D as underpinning the successful development of their industry". The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) has identified new cultivar development as a major research theme in its Research Strategy for New Zealand Horticultural, Arable and Plant-based Industries over the next 5 years.

Our fruit must command premium prices in export markets because of our distance and associated shipping costs. This cannot always be achieved by merely importing cultivars from overseas. Breeding new cultivars, that are unique to New Zealand and adapted to our conditions, will give those premium returns.

Benefits of New Cultivars
One of the primary reasons for the New Zealand pipfruit industry's success in recent years has been the extensive range of cultivars available for export. In future, the continuing development of new cultivars will be absolutely essential for the success of the industry. It will be important for New Zealand to continue to innovate with new cultivars to maintain our strong marketing position across markets, particularly new opportunities arising in the Pacific Rim.

Contrast the apple situation with kiwifruit: 'Hayward' is the only "model" grown worldwide. The opportunities are endless, the race is on in the development of a new "kiwifruit". The Foundation comments in its recent Research Strategy "Coming up with the new suite of international industry standard kiwifruit cultivars is a race the New Zealand Industry cannot afford to come second in".

Another good example is apricots: until the advent of cultivars such as 'Sundrop' and the newer Clutha series (e.g., 'CluthaGold'), New Zealand's exports of apricots were very limited due to poor storage, shelf-life and fruit quality problems. Breeding cultivars for our specific conditions and requirements has opened up new market opportunities.

Leader in fruit breeding
HortResearch is the industry leader in developing new, improved or novel fruit cultivars specifically adapted to New Zealand conditions. Its fruit breeding programmes involve both conventional plant breeding methods and the use of biotechnology to enhance and accelerate new cultivar development. The key strengths of the Institute's breeding programmes are its extensive collection of fruit crop germplasm, the use of scientific strategy in its approaches, access to research orchards and support from other scientists with skills in plant genetics, molecular biology, crop physiology, postharvest and sensory sciences. HortResearch has strong collaboration with breeding programmes all around the world, giving it access to plant material both for evaluation as to suitability under New Zealand conditions and for use in its breeding programmes. Industry groups in New Zealand are closely involved in helping to set priorities for breeding new cultivars.

A successful new fruit cultivar must meet commercial market preferences and the needs of growers in relation to many horticultural characters: improved colour, flavour, texture, size, yield, maturity date, enhanced storage life, pest and disease resistance, or adaptation to New Zealand conditions. However, fruit quality is the major objective in our fruit breeding programmes. Initially field characteristics, such as earliness and disease resistance, play a primary role in selecting plant type . However, without acceptable quality, a new cultivar will fail, regardless of the combined superiority of other characteristics.

The term "fruit quality" encompasses those attributes that make fruit attractive as a food source. The unique role of fruits in the diet is related to their desirable sensory qualities such as colour, flavour and texture. Also their contribution to nutrition - vitamin C, energy, minerals, pectic substances (e.g. cellulose) and other organic compounds that aid in digestion because of their roughage and other dietetic characteristics. "Fruits are prized for their delightful sensory qualities, including delectable flavours, eye appeal, and textural properties. They add zest to an otherwise dull diet and act as a stimulus to our everyday life" (Moore and Janick, 1983).

New cultivars with inherent pest and disease resistance are becoming increasingly important with consumer reaction to residues and the use of sprays. More and more, consumers are demanding chemical- free products and will no longer settle for lower quality, blemished fruit. With many of our fruit crops, heavy emphasis is placed on breeding for pest and disease resistance to sustain market access, food and consumer safety, environmental protection and durability of our cultivars.

New opportunities
Fruit quality will assume even greater importance in breeding objectives for the future. Consumers are becoming more aware of quality, and they will become even more selective in future purchases. New processing procedures, and new processed products, will require fruits with specific quality attributes in the future. Cultivars specific for certain uses will be demanded. One aspect of quality that will require much more attention in future fruit breeding programmes is food value. Development of cultivars higher in vitamin content and with more desirable sugar:acid ratios will be a high priority objective. As food additives become less available for use by processors, natural colour, flavour, and firmness will become much more important in new fruit cultivars.

Japan remains New Zealand's single most important customer accounting for 20% of the export total, even though the export of pipfruit and most stonefruit is still substantially prohibited on quarantine grounds. Over the next decade there will be significant growth in the importance of the Pacific Rim as a trading region. Consequently there will be developing a whole new range of consumers with rising incomes. Most importantly they will have a whole range of preferences which are likely to be significantly different from our traditional export markets. It is only through the development of new cultivars specifically for these emerging niche markets that New Zealand will maintain its competitive advantage.

No successful breeders have ever deluded themselves into thinking that they have bred the perfect cultivar. With most fruits, a single "perfect" cultivar meeting all needs under all circumstances is impossible to achieve. Moreover, what may be a near perfect cultivar today, may not be so tomorrow because the conception of what is desirable may change. Constant innovation combined with extensive market research will be the key to New Zealand's continued success in developing new export opportunities.

Financial support
New Zealand's current investment in new product development and breeding is probably inadequate for the opportunities available and its importance to the future of the horticulture industry. The funding commitment of the Crown through the Public Good Science Fund is declining, even in strategic work such as genetic studies which underpin the entire research programme. Despite the acknowledged importance of new cultivars to their industries' futures, both the NZAPMB and the NZKMB spend less than 20% of their R&D budget on plant improvement. This is in contrast to some of the smaller industries, (e.g., hops) which spend a much greater proportion of their R&D budget on plant breeding and improvement. Contributions from the processing industry towards fruit breeding are also low.

Plant breeding has always been a long term investment. With long-term perennial crops, such as apples and kiwifruit, it may take 15 years from a cross being made before a programme starts paying dividends, but with continued support structured breeding programmes will produce a significant return on investment. The major challenge currently facing horticulture in New Zealand is to be able to substantially shorten the time taken to breed and release new cultivars to growers.

New developments
Recent developments in the field of biotechnology and recombinant DNA technology will have tremendous implications for the future of conventional plant breeding, allowing the enhancement and acceleration of new cultivar development. The formation of HortResearch places it in the best possible position to take advantage of these developments: the amalgamation combined the most comprehensive fruit breeding programmes in New Zealand with the largest team of plant molecular biologists in the country to form a vertically integrated group focused on plant improvement.

Molecular biology techniques have great value in complementing conventional plant breeding methods by speeding up the breeding process. For example, HortResearch, in association with research groups in the US and Europe, is developing a map of the apple genome which links molecular markers with important characters such as resistance to major pests and diseases, as well as fruit quality and physiological traits. This map will enable breeders to produce new cultivars faster and more cost effectively, by allowing them to use the markers to identify the most promising seedlings in large progeny populations at a very early age.

Many other developments will also increase the speed of innovation: HortResearch (together with the NZAPMB) has established a National Cultivar Centre and a germplasm collection from which to base its breeding programmes and to speed up the evaluation of promising new selections introduced from overseas; the Institute also played an instrumental part in establishing the Citrus Budwood Scheme which allows growers access to the best stock; the kiwifruit industry is fast-tracking commercial evaluation of potential new cultivars. Other organizations also realize the importance of speeding up and managing the release of promising new cultivars. The NZAPMB and the NZKMB now have New Product Development Committees; the Fruit Industry Plant Improvement Agency (FIPIA) and the New Zealand Berryfruit Propagators also play key roles in the promotion and distribution of promising new cultivars.

The Future
This excerpt from FRST's Research Strategy provides an excellent conclusion: "The ability of New Zealand's horticultural industry to be competitive internationally is highly dependent on our retention, access to and rapid commercialisation of a wide genetic crop base, linked to expertise in rapid breeding and selection. This will involve a balance of expertise in classical breeding as well as the new genetic manipulation techniques. New Zealand industries must have the fastest turnaround at developing new breeding lines to suit and lead changing market preferences. We must not let some other country set the new market place standards for new kiwifruit or apple cultivars, for example. (Plant improvement/new cultivar development) is a crucial research theme, appropriate to all crops. Achieving success will require close and continuing interaction between market intelligence and researchers to produce new cultivars of outstanding value."

References
Methods in Fruit Breeding. Ed. James N Moore & Jules Janick. Purdue University Press. 1983.

NZ's Horticultural, Arable and Plant-based Food Industries: Research Strategy for Outputs 07, 08 and 13. Foundation for Research Science and Technology. Wellington. 1993.

HortResearch acknowledges the support of the following organisations for its breeding programmes:
Foundation for Research, Science and Technology
New Zealand Apple & Pear Marketing Board
New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board
New Zealand Fruitgrowers Federation
- Summerfruit Sector
- Citrus Sector
Fruit Industry Plant Improvement Agency (FIPIA)
New Zealand Berryfruit Growers Association
New Zealand Tamarillo Growers Association
New Zealand Avocado Growers Association
Hop Industry / Brewers / Growers
Blueberry Export Council
Persimmon Export Council
New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association
New Zealand Cherimoya Growers Association
New Zealand Macadamia Growers Association
Marlborough Research Centre Trust

Examples of HortResearch breeding programmes:
(More detailed information on cultivars released by HortResearch will be featured in following issues of The Orchardist)

Apples In all programmes, the aim has been to produce red-fruited varieties, which are both well adapted to local growing conditions, and of superior eating-quality. Three main programmes are aimed at producing late-, early-, and mid-season cultivars. Crosses between 'Gala' and 'Splendour' apples have already produced two promising new cultivars, 'GS 2085' and 'GS 330', which have recently been planted by growers.	Pears The aim of this programme has been to combine the crisp, juicy flesh of the Japanese nashi with the high flavour of European pear cultivars. Additional beneficial characteristics gained are precocious cropping and long shelf life. Promising new selections are currently being tested at several research orchard sites.
Kiwifruit Kiwifruit improvement programmes seek novel alternatives to the common 'Hayward' cultivar. Material under evaluation includes large-fruited, early maturing selections and a hairless green-skinned hybrid. Releases from the programme to date include 'Kaimai' rootstock and 'Chieftain', a new male pollenizer.	Citrus Citrus are being bred for convenience factors such as an easy-peel skin, and adaptation to New Zealand's cool, maritime climate. 'Bay Gold', a Clementine mandarin x Seminole tangelo hybrid, is the first registered citrus hybrid to be bred in New Zealand. It is a juicy tangelo-like fruit that peels easily and is virtually seedless. It is also resistant to Alternaria, a serious rind blemish disease which affects the 'Seminole' tangelo.
Stonefruit Increased storage life, early and late maturity are important aspects of the apricot breeding programme. Fruit size, colour and flavour are also important, along with adaptation to local growing conditions. Recent successes of this breeding programme include the "Clutha" series of apricots - 'CluthaGold', 'CluthaStar', 'CluthaEarly', 'CluthaLate' and 'CluthaSun'.	Berryfruit This breeding programme involves raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and hybridberries such as boysenberries and loganberries. Important aims are improving fruit quality, fruit size, firmness and shelf life, as well as pest and disease resistance, thornlessness and extending the length of the season. Recent releases include a large fruited strawberry, 'Orion'; new boysenberry /hybridberry cultivars - 'Ranui', 'Taranaki', 'Mahana', 'Riwaka Tahi'; a new raspberry cultivar, 'Selwyn'; and 2 new late-season blueberries - 'Maru' and 'Rahi'.
Tamarillos Tamarillos are being bred for improved fruit quality (colour, flavour, shape, freedom from virus diseases) and yield (number, size). 'Red Beau' has been a popular release. Considerable research is underway using newer techniques of biotechnology to develop a tamarillo which is resistant to the devastating disease, tamarillo mosaic virus.	Persimmons The need for early ripening non-astringent varieties has been recognized by the industry. A range of newer selections has been imported from Japan and is being evaluated under New Zealand conditions.
Feijoas Increased storage life and early maturity are important aspects of the feijoa improvement programme. Other aspects include improving fruit flavour, texture and colour. A recent cultivar released from the programme is 'Opal Star'.	Hops HortResearch has pioneered the development of naturally seedless "triploid" hops, and is developing hop cultivars with improved alpha-acid content (providing the bitter flavour) and aroma qualities to compete on export markets. The New Zealand industry is based solely on cultivars developed by HortResearch. Recent releases by HortResearch are 'Pacific Gem', 'NZ Hallertauer', and 'Southern Cross'.

Source:
The Orchardist, March 1994, Vol: 67, Number: (2):35