Articles
Columnar and crab apple breeding in Latvia
Article number
1412_33
Pages
217 – 222
Language
English
Abstract
The target market of columnar and crab apple cultivars is mostly home gardeners.
However, the demand for such cultivars is constant and quite significant.
They must combine ornamental value, disease tolerance, climate adaptation and fruit quality good for dessert or processing.
Since 2009, 7 columnar and 2 crab apple cultivars have been registered in Latvia by Pure HRS and LatHort.
The present breeding program at LatHort includes two objectives: 1) obtaining columnar or compact red-leaf crabs with regular and attractive flowering, high content of sugars and polyphenols in fruits, suitable for preserves and cider; 2) large fruited columnar apples with fruit quality equal to commercial cultivars, regular production, winter-hardy, tolerant to scab and other diseases.
Cultivars, landraces and hybrids of Latvian and foreign origin are used as parents, including donors of Rvi6 apple scab resistance, as well as crab apples showing high field resistance of unknown genetic origin.
In 2020, red-leaf crab ‘Auce’ was handed in for registration, with compact tree, high content of sugars, acids and polyphenols, and very good consumer rating of its juice.
In 2022, two large fruited columnar apples were applied for registration: ‘Asnate’ with very good eating quality and ‘Dinija’ with regular production and scab resistance gene Rvi6. Red-leaf crab apple hybrids pending for registration are columnar apples H-17-05-16 (Dudars) with very attractive foliage and H-17-05-19 (Antonija) with an unbranched tree highly suited for ornamental use, as well as S1-8 (Austris) with small spreading tree habitus and deep red flowers.
A number of red-leaf crabs have been obtained also by amateur breeder A. Plaudis, of which the most interesting are columnar crab ‘New Look’, flowering crabs ‘Top Secret’ and ‘Duftzauber’; the last mentioned has shown good value also as a breeding parent.
However, the demand for such cultivars is constant and quite significant.
They must combine ornamental value, disease tolerance, climate adaptation and fruit quality good for dessert or processing.
Since 2009, 7 columnar and 2 crab apple cultivars have been registered in Latvia by Pure HRS and LatHort.
The present breeding program at LatHort includes two objectives: 1) obtaining columnar or compact red-leaf crabs with regular and attractive flowering, high content of sugars and polyphenols in fruits, suitable for preserves and cider; 2) large fruited columnar apples with fruit quality equal to commercial cultivars, regular production, winter-hardy, tolerant to scab and other diseases.
Cultivars, landraces and hybrids of Latvian and foreign origin are used as parents, including donors of Rvi6 apple scab resistance, as well as crab apples showing high field resistance of unknown genetic origin.
In 2020, red-leaf crab ‘Auce’ was handed in for registration, with compact tree, high content of sugars, acids and polyphenols, and very good consumer rating of its juice.
In 2022, two large fruited columnar apples were applied for registration: ‘Asnate’ with very good eating quality and ‘Dinija’ with regular production and scab resistance gene Rvi6. Red-leaf crab apple hybrids pending for registration are columnar apples H-17-05-16 (Dudars) with very attractive foliage and H-17-05-19 (Antonija) with an unbranched tree highly suited for ornamental use, as well as S1-8 (Austris) with small spreading tree habitus and deep red flowers.
A number of red-leaf crabs have been obtained also by amateur breeder A. Plaudis, of which the most interesting are columnar crab ‘New Look’, flowering crabs ‘Top Secret’ and ‘Duftzauber’; the last mentioned has shown good value also as a breeding parent.
Authors
L. Ikase
Keywords
Malus sp., red-leaf apples, fruit quality, biochemical content, scab resistance, productivity
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