INBREEDING OF PRUNUS MAHALEB

Inbred lines are reported to tend to form more homogeneous population and decreasing growth vigour but application of inbreeding in rootstock research of woody plants is scarsely known from the literature.

In order to enlarge the selection base, inbred populations from flowering of isolated self fertile trees were produced and planted out in 1980. The inbreeding of ‘Korponay’ self fertile variety resulted in specimens with different fruit colour (yellow, red, black), fruit shape and size.
From among them self fertile trees were selected with various growth characteristics.
Seedlings of that self fertile mother trees (S₂ population) were tested in seedbed, they showed homogeneous phenotypical charcteristics as liners in the nursery.
As rootstock of ‘Érdi bötermö’ sour cherry in the orchard most of the S₂ lines proved to be less vigorous in comparison to S₁ popuplation. ‘Érdi bötermö’ trees budded on certain S₂ lines in the orchard are more productive than those on S₁ (‘Korponay’ seedling).

Characteristics of the S₂ generation as seed tree was studied as well.
The seedlings of mother trees of ‘Korponay’ S₂ generation maintain the phenotypic growth characteristics of the mother trees.
Tree size is smaller and their seedlings (S₃) in the nursery are less vigorous than those of S₂ populations.

We expect to get morphologically homogeneous seedling populations with different growth vigour and good productivity in the later inbred generations.

III International Cherry Symposium

K. Hrotkó, L. Magyar

Breeding method, ‘Érdi bötermö’ sour cherry, growth vigour, ‘Korponay’ mahaleb cherry, productivity, rootstock effect, seedling

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1998.468.49