Bonus Bite 4
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Breeding for pest and disease resistance in plants is common practice in modern agriculture. Scientists typically focus on breeding for traits that result in higher yields and a longer shelf-life to keep up with supply and demand. But in this Bonus Bite episode, we shift into a conversation about breeding for flavor, a mostly neglected trait up until now. Flavor breeding is considered “the last frontier of plant breeding” by some experts and could bring tastier products to our tables. This episode covers the work of UC Davis researchers in search of a tastier fruit.
In this episode:
Steve Knapp, director of the Strawberry Breeding Program. His research focuses on the breeding, genetics and genomics of strawberries.
Florence Zakharov, flavor expert and associate professor of plant sciences. Her research focuses on the development of fruit aroma and the chemical elements and objective assessment of fruit flavor.