A SELECTION INDEX FOR EVALUATING SWEET CHERRY GENETIC RESOURCES AND CHOOSING PARENTS FOR CROSSES

For a complex evaluation of sweet cherry genetic resources by computer, a selection index was proposed which comprises mean values of 19 selected economic characters concerning both fruit and tree.
The index was calculated for 198 sweet cherry cultivars that had been evaluated for at least 5 years.
Contributions to the selection index from single characters are based on threshold values and weights.
Threshold values are estimated with respect to the desired genotype (breeder’s ideotype) and weights are estimated according to the share of single characters on a value of the desired genotype.
If any character is below the threshold value, the contribution from that character to the selection index equals zero.
A choice of parents for mutual mating is based on a subsequent simple computer program using all contributions to the joint selection index in a complementary way.
For mutual mating, those crosses are suggested which have the greatest values of the combined selection indices with respect to the ideotype.
In this way, for every cultivar, the second most promising parent (or parents) is found.
Parental combinations of five cultivars (‘Early Rivers’, ‘Kordia’, ‘Van’, ‘Vic’ and ‘Vogue’) are given as an example.

II International Cherry Symposium

F. Paprštein, J. Blazek

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1996.410.66