History of apple production and breeding in Latvia: crossroads of geography and challenges of climate

Latvia is situated at approximately 56° Northern latitude and is part of Northern Europe, characterized by cold winters and relatively cool, moist summers.
The average temperature sum above 10°C is 1800-2000°C, and annual precipitation ranges between 600 and 800 mm.
Historical temperature extremes (last 100 years) range from -40°C in winter and +35°C in summer.
With global warming, extreme colds are rarer, but extreme heat is more frequent, and spring frosts are more damaging.
The apple assortment in Latvia has developed at the crossroads of Western and Eastern Europe.
The first documented orchards were planted with German cultivars in the early 17^th century, possibly earlier.
Fruits from Russia were imported in the 16^th century, and since the 18^th century, Russian cultivars have been increasingly grown, although they are hardy but often lack quality due to cooler summers.
In the 19^th century, the first American apple cultivars were introduced.
Other countries around the Baltic Sea also gave a share.
Only in the 19^th century were local Baltic cultivars first described, like ‘White Transparent’. Severe winters from the Little Ice Age to the 20^th century eliminated many introduced cultivars, and until the mid-20^th century, early- and mid-season local cultivars on seedling rootstocks dominated.
Planned breeding began late, in the mid-20^th century; previously, all local cultivars were chance seedlings.
Since the 1990s, the situation has undergone a radical change; intensive orchards on winter-hardy clonal rootstocks with cultivars that exhibit high storability are now planted.
The challenge for successful apple growing in Latvia is to combine fruit quality, winter hardiness, and tolerance to diseases, such as scab, canker, and fruit rots.
In recent years, mildew and fire blight have also become harmful, and new scab races have appeared.
Not all widely grown cultivars respond well to temperature change.
The apple breeding program at LatHort is focused on developing high-quality cultivars with extended disease resistance and adaptation to the Nordic climate.
Searching for useful traits in genetic resources collection and the involvement of valuable donors from other countries are equally important for this goal.

EHC2024: International Symposium on the History of Horticulture in Europe

L. Ikase, G. Lācis

Malus domestica, disease resistance, winter-hardiness, genetic resources

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1438.27