A way to know whether flat peaches will appear on the tree or whether the skin will have fuzz has been opened before the peaches bear fruit. The Rural Development Administration has developed a technology to drastically shorten the breeding process for peaches and improve efficiency by introducing digital-based genomic analysis.
The Rural Development Administration's National Horticultural and Herbal Science Institute announced on the 9th that it has developed a genetic marker to identify the external characteristics of peaches in advance. By analyzing the genotype information from the leaves of young seedlings, a "molecular marker" has been established to predict the shape of the fruit (flat or round) and the presence of fuzz on the skin (peach or saturn peach).
The existing breeding method required growing thousands of trees and observing them for years until the fruits appeared to select varieties with desired characteristics. For example, to develop a variety with high demand like flat peaches, it was only possible to select after confirming the fruit by growing over 1,000 trees for 3 to 4 years.
However, by utilizing the newly developed molecular markers, it is possible to select the flat genotype in advance by analyzing the genetic information from the leaves of young trees. Practically, only about 500 trees need to be grown to achieve the same selection work. An official from the Rural Development Administration noted, "Breeding efficiency is expected to improve by about two times compared to before."
The molecular markers serve as a 'gene map' that can identify variations in the DNA of organisms that affect specific traits. The two markers developed this time by the Rural Development Administration can differentiate the fruit form and the presence of fuzz on the skin of peaches, with related patents also filed. In the future, there are plans to develop markers that can early identify traits such as acidity and harvest timing.
This achievement is based on genomic decoding data for 445 peach genetic resources. Since 2021, the Rural Development Administration has analyzed these genetic resources over three years, securing more than 940,000 genetic information, and has selected 150 that are suitable for producing high-quality data as the 'core group.' This group serves as research materials representing the diversity of peach genetic resources worldwide and will provide basic data for reliably producing digital breeding-based data.
According to the Rural Development Administration, there are currently 202 registered peach varieties in Korea, which is two to three times more than apples (97 varieties) or pears (58 varieties). This indicates a high demand for variety development by climate zone, and consumer preferences are also rapidly changing. Recently, the demand for flat peaches, which have soft skins and are easy to transport, and saturn peaches, which have low allergy risks, is increasing.
The Rural Development Administration expects that this digital breeding technology will greatly assist in diversifying peach varieties and developing customized varieties in the future. Kim Myung-soo, head of the National Horticultural and Herbal Science Institute, said, "By utilizing the core group and molecular markers established this time, we can significantly reduce the expenses and time required for developing new varieties," adding that it will contribute to the diversification of varieties and market activation to meet the needs of both producers and consumers.
Meanwhile, the Rural Development Administration has been developing various peach varieties since starting with 'Yumeong' in 1976, including 'Cheonhong' in 1993, and more recently, 'Yellow Dream,' 'Seolhong,' and 'Innocence.' The digital breeding technology is expected to be widely used in the future for developing varieties that respond to climate anomalies and adjust acidity, color, and harvest timing.