Affordable, High-Performance Genotyping for Fruit Crops

Drive Better Breeding Outcomes with PACE® by 3CR

The global fruit industry faces constant challenges: climate change, emerging pests and diseases, changing consumer preferences, and the need for sustainable production. To meet these demands, breeders and researchers rely on precise, scalable genotyping tools that accelerate the development of improved varieties.

3CR delivers exactly that. Our patented PACE® (PCR Allelic Competitive Extension) chemistry provides affordable, high-throughput SNP genotyping that empowers fruit breeders to make data-driven decisions. From disease resistance and yield to flavour and shelf life, PACE® helps unlock the genetic potential of fruit crops worldwide.

MARKER-ASSISTED SELECTION

Applications in Fruit Genotyping

Fruit breeding programmes use PACE® to solve real-world challenges and accelerate innovation:

Marker-Assisted Selection

Select individuals carrying desirable alleles for traits such as sweetness, acidity, fruit size, or disease resistance.

Applications in Fruit Genotyping

Fruit breeding programmes use PACE® to solve real-world challenges and accelerate innovation:

Trait Mapping & QTL Studies

Associate SNP markers with key traits, from grape flavour compounds to apple storage life, enabling targeted breeding strategies.

Applications in Fruit Genotyping

Fruit breeding programmes use PACE® to solve real-world challenges and accelerate innovation:

Genomic Selection

Integrate SNP genotyping into prediction models to shorten breeding cycles and deliver improved varieties faster.

Applications in Fruit Genotyping

Fruit breeding programmes use PACE® to solve real-world challenges and accelerate innovation:

Disease Resistance Screening

Identify SNPs linked to resistance against fungal, bacterial, or viral pathogens, strengthening breeding pipelines for resilience.

Applications in Fruit Genotyping

Fruit breeding programmes use PACE® to solve real-world challenges and accelerate innovation:

PARENTAGE TESTING & VARIETY VERIFICATION

Confirm pedigrees, validate crosses, and verify varietal identity to ensure quality and consistency in commercial breeding.

Applications in Fruit Genotyping

Fruit breeding programmes use PACE® to solve real-world challenges and accelerate innovation:

Germplasm Characterisation

Assess genetic diversity within breeding collections and gene banks to maintain valuable genetic resources.

Fruit-Specific Examples

  • Apple & Pear: SNP genotyping for scab resistance, fruit texture, and storage traits.
  • Grapevine: Selection for flavour, disease resistance, and climate adaptation.
  • Banana & Plantain: Screening for Fusarium wilt resistance and yield stability.
  • Berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry): Trait mapping for flavour, shelf life, and pest resistance.
  • Citrus: Genotyping for disease resistance (e.g., citrus greening) and fruit quality traits.

Already Sure? Let’s UPGRADE Fruit Genotyping TOGETHER!

PACE® provides breeders with the flexibility to address species-specific challenges while supporting long-term breeding goals.

Order your PACE® Master Mix now and streamline your workflows with unmatched speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency—trusted by 600+ labs worldwide.

Making Genotyping Work for Fruit Breeding

PACE® is easy to integrate into existing PCR workflows, compatible with most qPCR instruments, and supplied in 2x master mixes with or without ROX dye. Our technical support team provides guidance on setup, optimisation, and assay ordering to ensure smooth adoption.

For organisations without in-house capacity, 3CR delivers high-quality outsourced genotyping services using PACE® chemistry.

Get Started with PACE® for Fruit Crops

Whether you’re improving orchard varieties, enhancing shelf life for global markets, or strengthening disease resilience, 3CR can help you scale your genotyping programmes.

MID- & HIGH-DENSITY GBTS MARKER PANELS FOR FRUIT GENOTYPING

Our targeted SNP marker panels enable accurate genotyping for selective breeding, variety authentication, and quality trait enhancement in fruit crops. Cost-effective, species-specific, and optimised for reliable, large-scale breeding and genetic research.

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End-to-end genotyping solutions FOR AQUACULTURE BREEDING

Unlock the full spectrum of genotyping possibilities with our comprehensive, modular range of instruments. Explore our end-to-end genotyping automation solutions and discover the perfect fit for your laboratory, ensuring efficiency and accuracy at every step.

AUTOMATED EXTRACTION

Automated Extraction

Fully automated, high-quality nucleic acid extraction & purification instrumentation for use with magnetic bead-based reagents. Suitable for genotyping, library sequencing, gene chip analysis & more.

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LIQUID HANDLING

LIQUID HANDLING

Automated liquid handling workstation for sample replication and reformatting, low volume assay dispensing, plate sealing and more. On-deck sonicating washing dramatically reduces tip consumption and cost.

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THERMAL CYCLING

THERMAL CYCLING

A highly efficient, high-throughput thermal cycling water bath instrument capable of running up to 25 PCR plates per run. Robust, streamlined basket design.

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DATA ANALYSIS

DATA ANALYSIS

A high-speed plate scanner for precise fluorescence signal detection and analysis. Full-field scanning technology for excellent sensitivity and resolution; automated loading, detection and unloading.

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About 3CR

3CR is an independent UK-based company dedicated to Making Science Affordable. Our PACE® technology supports crop, fruit, vegetable, livestock, aquaculture, and life science applications worldwide. By lowering the cost of SNP genotyping, we empower researchers and breeders to achieve more with fewer resources.

PACE genotyping accuracy, independently verified
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YEARS OF COMBINED TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE
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customers worldwide
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assays designed to date
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seed producers worldwide trust PACE genotyping
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Take the Next Step! Genetic improvement is the future of fruit breeding.

Partner with 3CR to make it faster, more affordable, and more effective.

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MEET OUR TEAM

Steve Asquith Managing Director
Steve began his career in the Genetics Division of GlaxoSmithKline, as part of the team establishing GSK’s high-throughput core genotyping laboratory. Steve joined KBioscience when it was first founded in 2002 and was a key driver in taking the company from a small start-up to a multi-national service laboratory, quickly growing the company’s revenue to over $7.5M p.a. Following the acquisition of Kbioscience by LGC in 2011, Steve was appointed Global Director of Operations for LGC Genomics, responsible for over 100 staff in Europe and N. America, successfully elevating the genotyping products and service business. Steve held a crucial leadership role until he left in 2016. In 2017 Steve joined forces with John Holme to create 3CR Bioscience, a new company with a mission to deliver outstanding, customer-focused genotyping products with innovation and affordability at its core.
Dr. John Holme Technical Director
John joined KBioscience shortly after it was founded, in 2003, and became Head of Technical Development, building the company’s genotyping and DNA extraction product portfolio and service delivery until 2011 when it was acquired by LGC. Post-acquisition, John was appointed Head of Technical Group for LGC Genomics, in charge of all Research & Development and Technical Support activities for the company. In this role John continued to build on the high-quality products and services provided to the companies growing customer base. During the 19 years John has worked in commercial R&D, he has co-invented numerous highly successful products including PACE®, ProbeSure, KASPâ„¢, KlearKall, KlearGene, KlearAmp and KlearTaqâ„¢, creating breakthrough offerings in genotyping and extraction and generating huge revenues for the companies he has worked in. In 2017, he joined forces with Steve Asquith and started 3CR Bioscience. John is dedicated to developing outstanding, innovative genotyping products and providing the very best technical support to customers globally.
Dr. Nisha JainOperations Director
Nisha has been innovating since the start of her career at Geneform Technologies developing Iso-thermal Genotyping Technologies. Nisha joined KBioscience in 2008, as Senior R&D Scientist and key account Technical Support Scientist, developing KASP and Klearkall performance and coinventing two further versions of KASP. Nisha has more than 15 years’ experience working in molecular biology and genotyping technologies, with extensive experience in the areas of R&D, Quality Assurance and Customer Technical Support. She has technically assisted many giants of the industry with their protocol development and troubleshooting and continues to deliver high-quality support and guidance. In 2018, Nisha joined 3CR Bioscience as Operations Director where she continues to develop PACE and ProbeSure for an increasing range of applications, and to grow 3CR Bioscience’s new product pipeline. Nisha is dedicated to developing outstanding, innovative genotyping products and providing the very best technical support to customers globally.
Nazma Saffin General Manager
For 20 years Nazma Saffin has worked and gained extensive expertise within the genotyping sector. Working at Kbioscience and then LGC, she has held operational leadership posts responsible for manufacturing and laboratory services. With experience of ISO 9001 implementation, production scale up and LEAN operations, Nazma has successfully led highly profitable production departments. Joining 3CR Bioscience in 2022, Nazma is committed to delivering operational excellence.
Jon Curtis Non-Executive Chair
After 8 years in The Royal Air Force, Jon moved to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund where he pioneered the use of ultra high-throughput genomic automation, capable of 46,000 PCRs per hour. In the 1990’s Jon joined GlaxoSmithKline, implementing a high-throughput genomics platform into their drug discovery pipeline. Whilst there he also developed acoustic mixing into compound management, becoming the gold standard across pharma. Jon developed the world’s first commercially viable 1536-well PCR plates, automated thermal & laser plate-sealer, plus automated liquid-handling & tip washing tools to reduce waste and costs. In 2002 Jon co-founded KBioscience with Phil Robinson, utilising ultra high-throughput PCR instrumentation & a suite of automation tools to create the company’s SNPline robotic platform, with a capacity of 250,000 PCRs/day. The business was underpinned by their ground-breaking patented genotyping chemistry, KASP™, which has over 10,000 scientific papers to date. In November 2022 Jon joined 3CR Bioscience acting as an advisor bringing his commercial and scientific experience to the company.