VARIATION IN RIBES RUBRUM L. IN SCANDINAVIA

Population studies have been carried out in latitudinal and partly altitudinal distant populations/ecotypes of Ribes rubrum L. Types from the following localities have been included in the studies – Denmark, Aas, Sikilsdalen, Trøndelag, Misvær and Alta.

Plants grown under controlled climatic conditions showed great variation in critical daylength for apical growth:

A variation in critical daylength of about 1.5 hours could also be recorded between genotypes within populations.
Also in rooting ability there was registered a great variation.
In Misvaer (25 genotypes) the rooting ability varied from 0–100 %. A more detailed study of the variation within populations was carried out in Misvær, Nordland.
A great number of fenotypic – and fruit quality-registrations were made on spontanous plants (wild-types) and plants from privat gardens (garden-types) in that area.
Population means, standard deviations and histograms, showing frequency-distributions, were calculated.

The results showed great variations for almost all plant characteristics recorded.
Examples of characteristics with mean and st.deviation:

Flowercolour (1–5): 2.8 (std. 1.2), Quantity of berries (0–9): 4.4 (std. 2.9), Percentage of berries (number of flowers/berries per raceme): 37.8 (std. 20.5). Time for ripening (0–9): 5.0 (std. 2.7) and Leaf colour in the autumn (0–9): 1.3 (std. 1.8).

Many of the wild-types had very good properties and can be used in the processing for economic and ornamental purposes.

IV International Rubus and Ribes Symposium

. , .

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1986.183.5