Main results of apple breeding at the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding

The intensive target work for apple assortment improvement is being carried out at the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK). A large interdisciplinary team of researchers takes part in creating cultivars. Promising areas of apple breeding for our institution are: 1. The development of triploid apple cultivars having more regular fruiting, high marketability of fruits and higher autogamy. 2. The development of cultivars immune and highly resistant to scab. 3. The development of triploid cultivars with immunity to scab. 4. Тhe development of columnar cultivars for intensive and super intensive orchards.

5. Тhe development of apple cultivars with improved biochemical composition of fruits. For the entire period of selection work, artificial pollination in the amount of 5.2 million flowers was carried out, 912 thousand annual apple seedlings were grown, 249 elite seedlings were produced and 54 apple cultivars were created and included in the State Register of breeding achievements admitted for use (zoned). Brief economical and biological descriptions of them are given in this paper. The best diploid apple cultivars Veteran, Orlik, Orlovskoye Polosatoye and Pamyt Voinu as well as triploid cultivars Avgusta, Ministr Kisilev, Orlovsky Partizan, Osipovskoye and Sinap Orlovsky adapted to local conditions are already widely known and introduced into production. Triploid cultivars having immunity to scab Vavilovskoye, Maslovskoye, Rozhdestvenskoye and Yablochny Spas as well as columnar cultivars Vostorg, Girlyanda, Orlovskaya Yesenia, Poezia and Priokskoye are of special interest. The cultivars with improved biochemical composition of fruits are of great interest. The widespread introduction of new promising apple cultivars of the Institute's breeding into industrial plantings will undoubtedly contribute to import substitution of fruit products in Russia.

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