AGER Project on Apple Advanced Research. Apple fruit quality in the postgenomic era, from breeding new genotypes to postharvest: nutrition and health

International competition and the pressing request of the consumers oblige italian fruticulture to be at the forefront of innovation. Thanks to the most recent advances on apple “omics” approaches, a wealth of in‐field experience, interaction with nutritionists and experts of human health, modern tools for apple orchard management and fruit conservation, six Italian institutions joined in 2010 to implement Italian apple cultivation: A) By developing fundamental technological genetic/genomics tools for apple breeding and technologies and tools for non‐invasive fruit quality assessment; B) by elucidating the main structure of the apple fruit metabolome and its relationship with standard fruit quality parameters to improve the knowledge about the molecular bases of fruit quality with emphasis on nutritional and health‐related properties. C) By applying the above powerful molecular genetics tools and knowledge to molecular breeding and to the production chain in order to 1) improve apple resistance to pathogens, 2) enhance fruit quality (mainly in terms of nutritional aspects), 3) reduce environmental impacts and increase sustainability, and 4) optimize the production chain. This proposal has therefore set the following specific objectives: 1. Production of genomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic tools and knowledge to lay the foundation of efficient marker‐assisted breeding for varietal innovation and better comprehension, in molecular terms, of the key quality traits of apple fruit. 2. Creation of genetic lines and selections aimed to improve fruit quality and disease resistance. 3. Improvement of the key steps of the pre‐harvest production phase, achieved by means of the following actions: ‐Development of new thinning strategies based on environment‐friendly chemicals and mechanical methods. ‐Development of new self‐thinning cultivars. ‐Water management improvement to control fruit quality. ‐Real time management of crop load. ‐Innovative measuring tools for monitoring the onset and evolution of fruit ripening. 4. Optimization of the production chain, its traceability, and fruit quality assessment, pursued by: ‐New methods to enhance fruit homogeneity. ‐Advanced traceability system. ‐Comparison between instrumental and sensorial fruit quality assessment. 5. Characterization of the key nutraceutical profile and allergenic properties of apple fruit by: A) Identification of bioactive molecules and analysis of their roles as modulators of risk factors for dismetabolic diseases and their anti‐neoplastic activity; B) Identification of the master determinants of apple allergenicity and search for hypoallergenic apple cultivars