The durian (genus Durio) has aroused curiosity among botanists for centuries, and influenced local culture across Southeast Asia for millennia. Of the 30 described species of Durio, about a third produce edible fruits, yet just one (Durio zibethinus) is grown on a commercial scale. Several new species have been described recently, which may be a reservoir of important genetic resources. Meanwhile, unregulated durian cultivation triggered by rapidly growing demand and a high return on investment may pose a threat to natural forests. Here we review recent findings in the genus with a focus on Malaysia and Indonesia. We suggest that further research into obscure wild relatives and local cultivars, will be important in the context of growing international demand for durian, coupled with an increasing reliance on commercial clones of this economically and culturally important fruit. Finally we suggest greater attention should be given to the potential threat to biodiversity posed by illegal durian plantations in one of the most biodiverse regions of the planet.

Plant biodiversity is fundamental to the future of food security and agriculture. Berries are the most economically important fruit crops in Canada. Within this article, we explore the nutritional, cultural, and botanical importance of berries, including crop wild relatives (plant species that are closely related to domesticated crops) and plants that are significant to Indigenous Peoples. Using berries as a case study, we explore opportunities for the conservation, use, and public engagement of crop wild relatives, with the objective of continuing to expand efforts across these diverse plants.

Bananas are the world's most popular dessert fruit and a staple starch crop for millions in low- and middle-income countries. The banana export trade that supplies North America, Europe, and other wealthy nations has a history fraught with exploitation and conflict. The price of cheap bananas has been environmental degradation, violence, and poverty. Only recently have efforts to address the power imbalances in this trade been made. Voluntary certification schemes aim to address multiple sustainability issues, while research into biological control, accelerated plant breeding, and efficient irrigation will help prepare the industry for emerging threats from pests, diseases, and climate change.

Strawberry breeders are faced with increasing demands by propagators, growers, retailers and consumers for particular agronomic traits. This and the volume of plants requiring assessment during selection constrain breeders to rapid and qualitative rating methods. High-throughput systems for assessing these traits automatically could indicate which families, or individual genotypes, should be singled out for further, more thorough evaluation, thus significantly increasing the selection intensity and accuracy. This review assesses the current status of and future potential for automated phenotyping in strawberry crops, highlighting key advances and the gaps which need to be addressed to facilitate the development of such technology.

Fermented “hard” cider is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity. While there is a long history of cultivating apple trees with fruit quality characteristics intended specifically for cider production, there is a dearth of cider-specific apple production in many emerging cider producing regions, such as North America. To help bolster the emerging cider industry and identify topics that warrant further research, this review article describes the biochemistry and physiology of apple fruit quality from a cider producing perspective.

Fruit number, size, and allometric relationships were evaluated in the Peruvian Amazon for Mauritia flexuosa, a socioeconomically important palm with conservation concerns due to destructive harvest. Significant relationships were found between total fruit number and both palm height and fruit volume. Taller palms experience more crown illumination and bear more and larger fruit, which potentially suggests that greater time investment produces larger harvests and gives a justification for preserving existing stands by preventing destructive harvest. Understanding fruiting patterns is critical for developing successful management and conservation plans, though long-term studies are needed to fully understand M. flexuosa fruiting patterns and responses to climatic change.

Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) is an agriculturally valuable tree that produces fruits used in a range of culinary dishes, beverages, and other products. The progenitor species and number of origins of sour cherry remain unresolved. Here, we performed phylogenetic analyses of plastid genomes and nuclear genes from nine wild species and three historically important sour cherry cultivars. Our analyses identified Prunus fruticosa and Prunus avium as the closest extant relatives of the progenitor species of tetraploid sour cherry. Furthermore, our analyses revealed P. fruticosa as the likely maternal contributor. These findings and transcriptomic datasets should serve as valuable new resources to guide future breeding efforts in sour cherry.

Historic North American apple (Malus domestica) orchards that thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with cultivar compositions unlike today's orchards, are vanishing. There are several reasons for this loss: tree aging, cost of tree maintenance, and urbanization. Many groups have collected local knowledge regarding the history and horticulture of apples using both phenotypic and genotypic identification methods. Some of these groups have joined with scientists to form the collaborative “Historic Fruit Tree Working Group of North America” to facilitate the conservation of heirloom apple cultivars in North America through documentation, identification, collaboration, and education.

Apples are among the most widely consumed fruits in the world, with a third of all apples being pressed into apple juice or fermented into cider. Cider has grown in popularity in Canada and the United States, and North American cider makers are increasingly interested in using traditional European ‘cider apples’ rather than using commonly grown ‘dessert apples’ that are grown primarily for fresh consumption. While we find that commonly grown dessert apples do differ from European cider apples for a small number of cider making characteristics, our results show that dessert apples are most often indistinguishable from cider apples across 10 traits. Our work provides a first step towards quantifying the differences between these two apple types.

We found evidence that larger fruited plant species are more likely to be found in aseasonal wet areas of Malesia. These areas are likely to be impacted by increasing human encroachment, which threatens both large-fruited species and the large fauna that are most likely responsible for their dispersal. This synergistic threat could drive the loss of fruit-crop relatives that potentially have key traits for resilient crops of the future.

The oasis of al-‘Ulā is subject to a vast development operation by the central government of the Saudi monarchy. Agriculture is not strictly speaking the first objective of this initiative, the emphasis being on tourism and thus on the vast historical heritage and landscape qualities of the region. Nevertheless, agriculture and in particular phoeniculture remain the main resource for the inhabitants. Characterizing the local date palm agrobiodiversity is key to the sustainable development of oases. In al-‘Ulā, documenting indigenous knowledge about the locally predominant barnī variety and characterizing its genetic integrity and mode of propagation represents the essential leverage needed by farm development project planners to develop local production.

To secure a stable, safe food supply, the future of humanity depends on the conservation and application of cultivated and wild plant diversity. Strawberries are globally important. They are widely produced and provide significant human health benefits. In 2019, annual world production was 14.5 MT. This report characterizes agricultural traits of diverse heritage strawberries. The gene pool of breeding programs has traditionally included a reliable but limited set of cultivars. The traits of lesser-known heritage strawberry cultivars and selections examined by our study could be of value in expanding gene pools by tapping into existing cultivated genetic diversity. Photo credits to Dr. Beatrice Amyotte.

Apples are affordable and accessible fruit with tremendous biodiversity. Among over 10,000 identified apple cultivars, only a few are commercially available. Habitual fruit consumption is correlated with the prevention of Type 2 diabetes and related complications. Particularly, (poly)phenols found in apples are major contributors to their antidiabetic properties. Here, we have screened (poly)phenol-rich extracts of 476 apple accessions in Canada's Apple Biodiversity Collection for antidiabetic properties. The results of this work provide insights into the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes by identifying high (poly)phenol-containing specialty apples for use in fresh fruit form or value-added functional food ingredients.

Citrus are intrinsically connected to human health and culture, preventing human diseases like scurvy and inspiring sacred rituals. Citrus fruits come in a stunning number of different sizes and shapes, ranging from small clementines to oversized pummelos, and fruits display a vast diversity of flavors and aromas. These qualities are key in both traditional and modern medicine and in the production of cleaning and perfume products. By quantifying and modeling overall fruit shape and oil gland distribution, we can gain further insight into citrus development and the impacts of domestication and improvement on multiple characteristics of the fruit.

There are many understudied fruits of great economic and productive importance for regional agricultural hubs. Guava is an American fruit species with attractive nutritional and adaptability characteristics. However, in many countries like Mexico, its cultivation is still limited to small-to-medium size plantings and home gardens and depends on poorly controlled germplasm that diminishes productivity and expansion. Our study provides valuable insight to better understand guava diversity and generate high-yielding, high-quality, and better adapted materials. Supporting the study and development of understudied crops will provide us with more resources for facing climate change adversities and for diversifying cropping systems.

Many economically, culturally, and historically important apple cultivars are triploids, which have three copies of each chromosome instead of the more typical two copies in diploids. Despite their prevalence and importance, there have been conflicting reports regarding their origin and their ability to beget diploids. New genetic analysis methodologies outlined in this study have clarified the genetic origin of triploid apple cultivars and suggest that triploidy has been a dead end in historic apple pedigrees. The specific results of this study have resolved the pedigrees of many cultivars, including the famous English cultivar Cox's Orange Pippin and the oldest known US cultivar Roxbury Russet.

Until the 1970s, the majority of commercial strawberry varieties produced a single bloom of flowers. However, continuously flowering, everbearing strawberries are now routinely cultivated and use is increasing. Indeed, introgression of the everbearing flowering trait can lead to economic benefits for growers through the production of a continual crop from the same plant. Genetically guided improvement has the power to streamline everbearing generation. As such, the genetic markers reported here can help to identify everbearing individuals at an early time point in the breeding process. Furthermore, these markers can help to improve the predictions of progeny segregation ratios.

The production of hard cider is a burgeoning industry in North America. However, traditional European cider-specific apples are largely unsuitable for production in modern systems and have not been widely adopted. Evaluation of the biochemical variability in apples can provide a better characterization of varieties for use in hard cider production. Many varieties exhibited extensive variability in biochemical traits. Varieties with high phenolics and acidity displayed greater plasticity of these traits between seasons, which supports the concept of “vintage quality” and opens new marketing opportunities. This study provides valuable insight for apple producers to integrate cider-specific and nonspecific varieties into their production systems.