A brief history of the forty-five years of the Epagri apple breeding program in Brazil

Abstract

The E’AppleBP is the largest Brazilian apple breeding program in activity in Brazil, with Brazilian and international contributions to breeding of apple cultivars, under public funding. The main objectives are development of new apple cultivars with good local climate adaptation, disease resistance, high yield, high fruit quality, good fruit storability and lower demand for orchard hand labor. Twenty-seven apple cultivars have been released, including 15 from local breeding crosses and four sport mutations. ‘Fuji Suprema’, ‘Monalisa’, ‘Venice’, ‘Daiane’, ‘Luiza’, and ‘Kinkas’ are most promising for commercial use. The other eight cultivars were released for use as pollinizers.