Articles
FORTY YEARS OF ALMOND AND ITS ROOTSTOCKS BREEDING
More than 10.000 hybrids were studied from this time to 1991 and inheritance of several characters observed.
After the two single characters: hard shell and bitterness (Grasselly et Crossa Raynaud, 1980) three others were recently observed: pubescence and white flesh of mesocarp which are dominant like with the Peach, and the pink colour of petals which is recessive.
Inheritance of self compatibility was also observed.
At the end of this programme, the work is not finished; several ways seems to be open to different topics: the resistance to cryptogamic diseases, with ARDECHOISE. At the present time some progenies is second generation seems to be more resistant to different diseases than the parent.
With the rootstock programme the new interspecific hybrids Myrobolan x Almond, are promising.
Other interesting results were recently observed by our Spanish and Italian colleagues.
The aptitude of some almonds varieties to root by hardwood cuttings observed by A. FELIPE and the possibility to transfer this aptitude to their progenies is very interesting.
This result confirm works managed in France several years ago.
The very recent results of M. MULAS about the tolerance of some almond progenies to Capnodis sp. is also promising.
All these results show to us that the genetic variability was not yes used and that we have yet several years of work before us.
Somebody since years ago said: where is a will there is a way.