Institute for Breeding Research on Horticultural and Fruit Crops

In Quedlinburg

The Quedlinburg-based institute strives to further develop knowledge on processes that determine the growth and development of healthy and high-quality plants. This knowledge contributes to political consulting and provides the scientific basis for legislative and administrative decisions in the fields of food, agricultural and consumer policies.

Breeding research carried out by the institute in Quedlinburg is aimed at providing the conditions for both an economically efficient plant breeding and an ecologically balanced horticulture. Special emphasis is given to the resistance to pathogens, a better product quality and the utilization of new genetic resources.

The main objectives of the institute encompass the generation of new resistance donors, the development and adaptation of novel technologies and breeding strategies for a genetic improvement of horticultural crops.

Research priorities in Quedlinburg

• Evaluation of plant genetic resources
• Genetic analysis of important breeding traits in horticultural cops
• Development of efficient selection methods for the detection of important breeding traits
• Development of methods and strategies to insert desirable traits into horticultural crops
• Generation of adopted genotypes

In Dresden-Pillnitz

The institute’s division at Dresden-Pillnitz is concerned with the collection, preservation and evaluation of fruit genetic resources as well as with the development of new scion and rootstock cultivars by breeding for a sustainable and environment-friendly fruit production both with controlled integrated and ecological management systems. Great attention in breeding is given to the field of resistance research in order to improve health and productivity of the plants and to reduce the demand of pesticides in terms of sustainable nature conservation.

Further important breeding aims are the enhancement of fruit quality for fresh market and industrial processing as well as the realization of high and stable cropping. Practical breeding is focused on apple, sour and sweet cherries, and strawberry.

Breeding in fruit crop species starts with the creation of genetic variability by targeted crossing of two parents with specific traits to be combined in a new cultivar. Subsequently, the progenies of these crosses will be evaluated and candidates characterized by a combination of desired traits will be selected. New cultivars are protected by plant breeders’ rights. The utilization of new cultivars bred in Pillnitz is coordinated by the international royalty office  Deutschen Saatgutgesellschaft m.b.H. Berlin.

The development and combination of traditional and innovative breeding methods is another field of activities of the Institute based in Dresden-Pillnitz. These methods enable to improve the efficiency of selection, to enhance resistance to biotic and abiotic agents as well as the nutritional value of the fruit.

In Dresden-Pillnitz there is also the coordination centre of the German National Fruit Genebank. The establishment of the German National Fruit Genebank was an important contribution to the National Programme on Genetic Resources of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants and to the realization of international cooperation in the frame of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR). 

Research priorities at Dresden-Pillnitz

• Phenotypic and genotypic evaluation of fruit genetic resources
• Combination of durable disease resistance and excellent fruit quality in new powerful fruit cultivars
• Development of genetic, molecular and biotechnological methods to be used in breeding
• Implementation of molecular markers for selection (Smart Breeding, Marker Assisted Selection)
• Identification, molecular characterization, isolation and transfer of useable genes
• Development of methods to speed-up the breeding progress as part of the Fast Breeding technology