Grapes
This wild grape species provided critical resistance to phylloxera and is widely used in rootstocks.
Vitis riparia
Peaches are most closely related to which other two Prunus crops? (This is kind of a trick question)
Almonds and nectarines
What is the native distribution of Prunus americana?
Central and eastern North America
Despite their name, Japanese plums were first domesticated in which country?
China
Sweet cherries are Prunus avium; tart cherries are ______.
Prunus cerasus
Grapevines are clonally propagated. What is one major benefit and one risk of this practice?
Maintains cultivar uniformity & quality;
reduces genetic diversity and increases vulnerability
What single gene mutation differentiates nectarines from peaches?
(A mutation in PpeMYB25) The gene controlling fuzz/trichome development
How did Indigenous peoples use American plums?
Cultivated, dried, and traded plums; used in pemmican and ceremonies
What role did Luther Burbank play in Japanese plum history?
Introduced seeds from Japan to California in the 1870s, bred hybrids for U.S. & global markets
Why are sweet cherries mostly self-incompatible while tart cherries are self-fertile?
Sweet = gametophytic self-incompatibility system;
tart = hybrid origin conferring self-fertility
Name the three key phenological stages of grape growth.
Bud break & shoot growth, flowering & fruit set, véraison & ripening
What is the role of chill hours in peach phenology?
Required for dormancy release and synchronized bud break
Why is P. americana valuable as a genetic resource?
Provides cold hardiness, disease resistance, and hybridization potential
Why is cross-pollination essential in Japanese plums?
Most cultivars are self-incompatible
What 3 countries produces the most cherries?
Turkey, US, Iran
What are the major fungal diseases of grapes managed within IPM frameworks?
Powdery mildew, downy mildew, botrytis bunch rot
What are the three physiological stages of peach fruit development?
Stage I: Cell division and rapid growth.
Stage II: Pit hardening and slow growth.
Stage III: Rapid fruit expansion, sugar accumulation, ripening
Compare cultivars ‘Alderman’ and ‘Toka’.
Alderman = large, firm, reddish-purple fruit;
Toka = aromatic “bubblegum plum,” excellent pollinizer
Name one major bacterial disease and one major fungal disease of Japanese plums.
Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas arboricola), brown rot (Monilinia spp.)
What insect pest is especially damaging to cherries because it lays eggs inside ripening fruit?
Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)
Compare the morphology of table grapes vs. wine grapes and explain how this affects their use.
Table grapes = larger, thinner skins, seedless, looser clusters (fresh eating).
Wine grapes = smaller, thicker skins, more phenolics, tight clusters (fermentation & complexity)
Name two molecular tools that accelerate peach breeding and explain how they help.
MAS (marker-assisted selection) → early seedling screening; GWAS → high-resolution trait mapping, discovering minor genes, etc.
What are 3 main diseases of American plums and how are they managed?
Black knot, leaf spot, rust, bacterial canker, or bacterial blight → managed via pruning, sanitation, resistant cultivars
How does Plum Pox Virus (Sharka) affect plum production?
Causes fruit deformation, chlorotic rings, and trade restrictions; no cure, managed by quarantine/eradication
What is the main fungal disease causing blossom blight and fruit rot in cherries?
Brown rot (Monilinia spp.)