Wild Crabapples Have Genetic Potential to Improve Domestic Varieties

By Maddy Frank

A bad apple doesn't always ruin the bunch. In fact, it might make the bunch a little stronger. A new study published in Horticulture Research by Ben Mansfeld, an assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, provides apple breeders with a genomic resource to help harness the power of humble crabapples.

The study examines the genetics of Malus angustifolia. This apple, also known as the Southern crabapple, is one of four native crabapple species in North America, and it's filled with untapped genetic information. "These species are really not included in the history of the breeding and domestication of apples at all," Mansfeld said. "They're what we call a genetic treasure trove."

Mansfeld is familiar with the potential of these crabapples. Together with Christopher Gottschalk at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Mansfeld has assembled the genome of another North American native, the Pacific crabapple, and investigated its resistance to fire blight, a common and deadly bacterial disease.