Progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of pollination in custard apple (Annona spp. hybrids) in subtropical Australia. ‘KJ Pinks’, a bud sport of the custard apple ‘Pink’s Mammoth’ exhibited natural fruit set in excess of 40% compared with its parent which set <3%. The very high fruit set levels of the ‘KJ Pinks’ will revolutionise the production of custard apple in Australia as it offers major commercial advantages over older cultivars which required expensive hand pollination. Some 30,000 breeding lines have been field planted at the Maroochy Research Station, Nambour, Queensland since 1998 including interspecific crosses between Annona cherimola, Annona squamosa, Annona reticultata and Annona diversifolia and intergeneric crosses with Rollinia deliciosa. Phylogenetic relationships have been established between the different species and varieties in the breeding program using 15 polymorphic SSR markers.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	fruit set, interspecific hybrids, polymorphic markers, SSRs
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Horticultural production
Research Field:	Horticultural crop growth and development
Objective Division:	Plant Production and Plant Primary Products
Objective Group:	Horticultural crops
Objective Field:	Horticultural crops not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Nissen, RJ (Dr Robert Nissen)
ID Code:	115594
Year Published:	2008
Deposited By:	Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture
Deposited On:	2017-03-31
Last Modified:	2017-04-06
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