Dear Colleagues,

In modern fruit growing, the establishment of plantations to ensure high fruit yields that are relatively constant from one year to another, of superior quality, and economically profitable peremptorily requires adequate cultivars. The cultivar became the most important factor of production as it plays the primary role in the realization of the sustainable fruit ecosystem that adequately meets the ever-increasing demands of the market, users, processors, consumers, and producers (farmers).

Over the last few decades, researchers’ attention on this species has grown exponentially as evidenced by the increasing number of scientific publications, especially regarding its basic biology. However, there are still open questions and challenges in this fascinating field around topics such as domestic apple’s evolution in quality and stress resistance compared to that of wild apple, pome fruit development and flesh quality formation, grafting and rootstock–scion interactions, bud differentiation and dormancy, and life cycle regulation. In the post-genomic era, the analysis of gene functions in apple is required for agricultural utilization and molecular breeding.

In this Special Issue, “Genetic Improvement of Apple: Breeding, Markers, Mapping and Biotechnology”, we plan to attract articles (original research papers, reviews, opinions, perspectives and methods) that focus on Malus biology, including germplasm resources, the genome, evolution, development, genetics, stress, fruit quality, nutrition, cultivation and postharvest at all levels. Articles comprising transcriptome, proteome, metabolome and epigenome studies and studies on biochemistry, physiology, genes, proteins, metabolites, stress biology, fruit development, fruit quality, grafting biology, flower development and postharvest biology are most welcome.

Dr. Laila Ikase
Dr. Sherif M. Sherif
Guest Editors

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• apple cultivars
• selection breeding
• disease resistant apple cultivars
• orchards
• apple genetic resource