Institute of Fruit Tree and Tea Science, NARO

Our group is developing high-quality apple varieties that are adapted to climate change and enable labor-saving cultivation. In addition, we are conducting research on the development of apple rootstock varieties and the introduction of new traits.
In apple breeding, we have developed 18 varieties to date. In recent years, we have released 'Beniminori' and 'Kinshu,' which exhibit excellent fruit skin coloration even under high-temperature conditions, as well as 'Benitsurugi,' which has a columnar growth habit and enables labor-saving orchard management. Going forward, we aim to develop new varieties with novel traits such as distinct harvest times and disease resistance.
In the development of apple rootstock varieties, we have produced five rootstocks to date, including the dwarfing rootstock 'JM7,' which can be propagated by cuttings. Currently, we are working to develop new rootstocks that retain the desirable characteristics of 'JM7' while also exhibiting resistance to crown gall disease, a soil-borne disease.
We are also advancing the elucidation of the inheritance of important traits such as columnar growth habit, aroma, and disease resistance, while developing DNA markers to improve the efficiency of individual selection.