National Agricultural Research Organization

National Institute of Fruit Tree Science Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries

National Institute of Fruit Tree Science, Ministry of Agriculture,

Junichi Soejima

Nobuhiro Kotoda

Tetsuro Sanada

Tetsuo Masuda

Yoshio Yoshida

Yoshiki Kashimura

Sadao Komori

Tadayuki Haniuda

Shichiro Tsuchiya

Kazuyuki Abe

Masato Wada

Yuji Ito

Hideo Bessho

Shosuke Sadamori

Hidenori Kato

According to the present invention, a plant having an early flowering property is provided. Specifically, the present invention provides a transformed plant having a gene that suppresses flower-bud formation or the antisense DNA of this gene.

Flower-bud formation suppressor gene and early flowering plant

Disclosed is an apple tree having a medium vigor, rounded and crenated leaves, exhibiting excellent resistance to Alternaria blotch and bearing a medium size fruit maturing mid-season and having high productivity with an slightly heavy preharvest fruit drop. The fruit has an oblate shape, has yellow colored skin and has excellent storage quality. The flesh of the fruit is yellowish white, juicy and firm, and further, has a strong sweetness and medium sourness, thereby providing a good sweet-sour balance and rich taste, and has an excellent eating quality.

Apple tree 'Kitaro'

Disclosed is an apple tree having a strong vigor, rounded and serrate leaves, exhibiting excellent resistance to Alternaria blotch, bearing a medium size fruit maturing mid-season and having high productivity with little early fruit drop and preharvest fruit drop. The fruit has a rounded shape with good appearance, having solid, deep red colored skin and having relatively good storage quality, which is slightly inferior to the seed parent. The flesh of the fruit is yellowish white, juicy and firm, and further, has a moderate sweetness, weak sourness and an aroma, thereby providing a good sweet-sour balance, and an excellent eating quality.

Apple tree 'Kotaro'

Disclosed herein is an apple tree which can be used as an apple dwarfing rootstock. The apple tree is capable of reproduction from hardwood cuttings, exhibits excellent disease and insect resistance, particularly against crown rot, Alternaria blotch and wooly apple aphid, has dwarfing capability and graft compatibility, exhibits satisfactory growth and grows to a size usable as a rootstock in one season after cuttings, and is therefore excellent as an apple dwarfing rootstock.

Apple tree named `JM7`

Growing community of inventors

Morioka, Japan

Junichi Soejima