Niğde's Misket apple on the US stage!

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Awais Khan, a faculty member at Cornell University in the US, will conduct research for 6 months as a visiting scientist at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies of Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University with the support of TÜBİTAK.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Awais Khan stated that he is working on apple disease resistance here.

Stating that apple scab and fire blight are among the most important diseases in global apple cultivation, Khan pointed out that while apple scab does not kill trees, it causes high economic losses in fruit.

Explaining that he is working to identify genes resistant to this disease and transfer them to other apple varieties, Khan said, "I conducted research in Niğde and various parts of Turkey. As a result of my observations, I saw that the Niğde Misket apple is more resistant to diseases, especially apple scab, compared to other commercial varieties. I will conduct studies in America to transfer the resistance in the Niğde apple to other cultivated forms through the hybridizations I will perform."

Awais Khan emphasized that genes providing resistance to apple scab are transferred from wild apple species.

Explaining that transferring traits from superior varieties like the Misket apple in obtaining resistant varieties can provide significant advantages in breeding programs, Khan stated that consumers are looking for high-quality fruit.

NEW APPLE VARIETIES

Pointing out that the developed varieties must be resistant and have superior eating qualities, Khan spoke as follows:

"This is exactly where the Niğde Misket apple gives us a great chance because it has both a source of resistance and its horticultural characteristics are higher than wild genetic resources. In this respect, it is a very valuable genetic material. I will be working in Niğde for 6 months. In my observations in Turkey, I observed that the Niğde Misket apple shows a higher degree of resistance to apple scab compared to other cultivated apples. I plan to transfer its resistant genes to current cultivated varieties and develop new apple varieties."

SUCCESSFULLY GROWN IN ANATOLIA FOR CENTURIES

Prof. Dr. Sedat Serçe, Head of the Department of Agricultural Genetic Engineering at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, also stated that superior traits of genetic resources are used when developing new varieties in plant breeding and that the Niğde apple has genetic advantages.

Stating that they are hosting Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khan, who manages the apple breeding program at Cornell University, Serçe noted the following:

"Our professor's goal is to create the widest possible genetic diversity in his own breeding program. For example, wild apples are generally resistant to diseases. We can take these traits related to disease resistance and transfer them to cultivated varieties. When we work with very wild species, we experience problems such as the loss of fruit quality traits. However, we do not have such a problem with our Niğde apple. It is perhaps a variety that has been successfully grown in Anatolia for centuries."