The Peach Resources and Breeding Team of Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has been the first in China to conduct research on cold demand since the 1980s. After more than 40 years of research, a suitable evaluation model for cold demand in peaches has been established, elucidating the genetic and biological characteristics of low cold demand germplasm, and proposing breeding theories that reduce variety cold demand, shorten childhood, and improve early yield.

 

Recently, the Peach Resources and Breeding Team published a research paper entitled “MADS box protein PpDAM6 regulations chilling requirements mediated fertility and bud break in peach” in Plant Physiology. In this study, genome-wide association study based on structural variation was carried out, and it was found that the key gene PpDAM6 controls the chilling requirement of peach, revealed the genetic mechanism of this gene regulating dormancy, and developed breeding markers for low chilling requirement. 

 

Cold demand is an important agronomic trait of peaches, and low cold demand is a core scientific issue for the development of peach industry in southern China and facilities. The results of this study provide a reference for molecular breeding with low cold demand.