Gene pool collection of Ficus carica L. and principal breeding directions

The fig collection of Russia is concentrated at Nikita Botanical Gardens – National Scientific Centre and considered to be the most complete over the former Soviet Union.
As far as Nikita Botanical Gardens (1812) was founded they started collecting fig cultivars spread since the times of highly developed agricultural ancient Greek civilization on the southern coast of the Crimea.
The first year’s study involved fig cultivars spread on the southern coast of Crimea.
Significant work on the fig cultivars’ introduction and creation of the collection was carried out from 1925 to 1940. Cultivars from 14 countries and local ones of Transcaucasia and Central Asia were involved in the study.
This direction included the study of cultivar diversity in various regions of the Soviet Union, material collection, and seedlings or cuttings ordered from foreign countries.
At the same time, great breeding work was carried out.
At the present time the gene pool of fig crops in NBG-NSC includes species, cultivars, and forms as follows: F. carica L., F. palmate Forsk., F. pseudo-carica Miq., F. virgate Roxb. 267 cultivars and forms where 52 belong to domestic breeding and 100 – foreign breeding.
The best cultivars were received from Tunisia, France, Italy, the USA, Albania, Georgia.
As to percentage the fig collection includes 40% of domestic cultivars and forms, 11.2% – from the USA, 9.4% – from France, 8.8% – from Georgia, 5.3% – from Albania, 5.3% – from Tunisia, 4.7% – from Yugoslavia, 4.1% – from Azerbaijan, 3.5% – from Bulgaria, 2.9% – from Italy.
Selection work aimed at breeding early ripening, winter-resistant cultivars (table ones, cultivars for making dried fruits and for conservation) that meet all production demands, was carried out based on the unique gene pool.
Breeding work made it possible to detail prospects of foreign cultivars that can present valuable progeny and replenish the fig collection with hybrid material.
The following cultivars bred at Nikita Botanical Gardens are worth mentioning, ‘Zheltoplodny Urozhainy’, ‘Nairanneishy Fioletovy’, ‘Sukhofruktovy Nikitsky’, ‘Sabrutsiya Rozovaya’, ‘Sukhofruktovy Nikitsky’, ‘Limonno-Zholty’.

I International Conference and X National Horticultural Science Congress of Iran (IrHC2017)

E. Shishkina

figs, gene pool, cultivars, introduction, breeding

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1315.30