MSU researchers uncover the complexity of the Montmorency tart cherry genome

  • Michigan State University researchers sequenced the Montmorency tart cherry genome for the first time. This will have a major impact on all future tart cherry research and breeding efforts worldwide. Michigan is the nation’s leading producer of tart cherries. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHARITY GOECKERITZ
    Michigan State University researchers sequenced the Montmorency tart cherry genome for the first time. This will have a major impact on all future tart cherry research and breeding efforts worldwide. Michigan is the nation’s leading producer of tart cherries. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHARITY GOECKERITZ

    EAST LANSING

    Since Michigan is the nation’s leading producer of tart cherries, Michigan State University researchers were searching for the genes associated with tart cherry trees that bloom later in the season to meet the needs of a changing climate. They started by comparing DNA sequences from late-blooming tart cherry trees to the sequenced genome of a related species, the peach.

    However, in a su…