Old autochthonous Romanian plum genotypes – a source for breeding program

Collection, conservation and evaluation of plant genetic resources are some of the most important conditions for breeding program.
In Romania, there is a rich germplasm fund, placed in two centers (RIFG Pitesti and UCv-SCDP Valcea), which includes species, autochthonous genotypes, foreign cultivars and selections.
Autochthonous plum cultivars from Romania belong to Prunus domestica L., Prunus spinosa L. and Prunus insititia L. They are mainly characterized by resistance to biotic and abiotic factors, high productivity, fruits rich in vitamins.
For this reason, 20 local plum accessions were studied regarding productivity, fruit quality and susceptibility to Plum pox virus in order to select some potential genitors to be used in the breeding programs.
The observations and measurements were done according to the EGPGR descriptors for Prunus genus.
The results revealed that some local cultivars can be used in future cross combinations, as follows: ‘Grase de Becs’, ‘Grase de Pesteana’, ‘Negru pletos’, ‘Galbene mari aurii’ for high productivity; ‘Galbene mari aurii’, ‘Mirabele mari locale’, ‘Uriase de Sibiu’, ‘Grase de Becs’, ‘Timpurii de Turlesti’ for fruit quality; ‘Grase de Becs’, ‘Grase de Pesteana’, ‘Uriase de Sibiu’, ‘Stanigele’, ‘Negru pletos’ for tolerance to Plum pox virus.

III EUFRIN Plum and Prune Working Group Meeting on Present Constraints of Plum Growing in Europe

M. Butac, M. Botu, M. Militaru, E. Chitu, C. Plopa, M. Sumedrea, D. Sumedrea

local accessions, Prunus sp., genitors, productivity, fruit quality, tolerance to PPV

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1175.7