Apple is one of the world's most economically important fruit crops, with over 7,000 different varieties grown worldwide. However, apple production faces a combination of environmental and economic challenges which threaten both crop yield and quality. In light of this, a greater emphasis has been placed on optimising existing breeding programmes and developing new varieties with improved resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses.

Advances in apple breeding provides a comprehensive overview of the range of techniques utilised to achieve this, focussing on conventional techniques such as hybrid breeding and modern techniques such as molecular breeding and genetic modification. The book also addresses recent developments in breeding for improved quality attributes of apple, as well as the use of bioinformatic resources to support current and future apple breeding.

Edited by a world-renowned expert, the book will be a standard reference for university and other researchers in horticultural science, apple growers and producers, as well as government and other agencies supporting sustainable production of apples.

Professor Fabrizio Costa is Associate Professor of Plant Genetics and Breeding in the Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A) at the University of Trento, Italy. Professor Costa is internationally renowned for his research on the genetics of fruit ripening and post-harvest quality. He is on the editorial boards of several scientific journals relevant in the field of plant science and genetics, with a particular focus on horticultural crops. Professor Costa is also editor of an earlier Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing volume: Improving the quality of apples (2024).