03/27/08 Visiting Chile

Visiting Chile. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. We have been hearing quite a lot about gene sequencing in the news lately. I had someone a while back gripe to me that perhaps scientists should spend more time looking into things like a cure for the common cold. He didn't understand the significance of the work being done. Jim McFerson with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission just got back from a trip to Chile where the subject matter was genes. Not Levis or Wrangler but tree fruit. MCFERSON: The area of genomics is an exciting and expanding area right now in both animals and plants probably highlighted by the human genome project in which human DNA was sequenced. That is also happening in other animals and plants as well. The conference that McFerson took part in was looking at the sequencing of DNA in members of the rose family of which of course the rose is one. MCFERSON: But so are apples, pears, peaches, almonds are in that same family, cherries, strawberries, raspberries. A lot of very important fruit and nut crops are in this family and they all share to a certain extent a similar DNA. It's important for scientists to understand the DNA structure to be able to understand characteristics of how plants grow and develop. MCFERSON: So scientists get together; about 150 of them and talked about that DNA and the genes in these families and how we can utilize emerging information in plant breeding, plant improvement programs to develop selections and new varieties that are better adapted, resistant to plant diseases and pathogens, more nutritious and provide more value to the consumer. More tomorrow with Jim. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.