ABSTRACT
Cherries are a well-known, widely grown, and popular fruit crop with long cultivation history that faces all the challenges of the modern world. Their breeding also has a long tradition, many cultivars have been created, and the creation of new cultivars continues to mitigate challenges such as climate change and public demand. Targeted breeding requires understanding the mechanisms of traits' heredity, crop genetics, and appropriate gene mining, whose main development directions are the development and application of molecular markers, important trait coding gene identification, genetic mapping, and transcriptome analysis. The wide diversity of molecular markers has been implemented in studying cherries' genetic resources and selecting breeding material. Series of cherry germplasm collections have been characterized using microsatellite (SSR) markers, providing opportunities for international cooperation and data exchange. A significant challenge limiting cherry cultivation is self-incompatibility, the genetic research of which, the development of gene-specific molecular markers, has made it possible to perform large-scale genotyping activities, identify self-fertile genotypes, and include them in breeding programs. Adaptability to local growing conditions, good fruit quality, and disease resistance also remain relevant, and breeding these traits is still challenging because agronomically important traits have polygenic inheritance and extensive mutual linkage. Current information on agronomically important trait gene mining reveals extensive knowledge from various research methods and diverse plant materials. In particular, this process has been facilitated by the availability of whole genome sequences. Gene mining approaches have been widely used in the research of cherries and the creation of new cultivars, as well as have also made it possible to gain extensive knowledge about trait heredity and develop and implement marker-assisted selection (MAS) procedures in breeding. The obtained genetic knowledge forms the basis for the further evaluation of cherry germplasm and its use for modern breeding, thus ensuring further crop development.
