Almond [prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. webb] breeding

Abstract

Almond [Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb] presents clear challenges within plant breeding given its plurennial woody character, long juvenile period and multiplication by grafting. These challenges make the improvement process generally long and tedious. Therefore, it is necessary to have the most current information on developing new cultivars that currently take 12 years. Additionally, the breeder has to consider diverse internal (genetic background of the existing material, actual and the new methodologies) and external factors (consumer preferences, biotic and abiotic factors) to ensure the success of a new cultivar. The degree of knowledge of these aspects determines the quality of the prediction and success in the design of new almond cultivars. Although the size of the breeding population can be unlimited, the management, phenotyping and selection of these seedlings are major limiting factors. High-throughput phenotyping methods, genomic (DNA), transcriptomic (RNA) and epigenetic studies can help to develop better selection strategies particularly useful to deal with complex target traits in tree crops such as almond, with a long juvenile periods and a high degree of heterozygosity. Recently, epigenetic marks have been developed associated to dormancy in flower buds.