Articles
BREEDING AND VARIETY EVALUATION OF BRAMBLE FRUIT IN HUNGARY
The main aim of Hungarian growers is to make their bramble fruit production more profitable.
For this reason it is necessary to change the variety collection of raspberry and blackberry.
The introduction of new bramble varieties from other countries encounters difficulties because Hungary has a continental climate.
The winter hardiness of raspberry and blackberry varieties is the most important limiting factor for cultivation.
On the basis of variety investigations made by the National Institute for Agricultural Quality Control the following varieties were registered in recent years: ‘Willamette’ (1991), ‘Zeva Herbsternte’ (1997), ‘Dirksen’ (1995) and ‘Hull Thornless’ (1996). Some other cultivars, ‘Autumn Bliss’, ‘Lucana’ and ‘Nessy’ will be registered in the near future.
The breeding of Rubus species in Hungary was started in Fertód at the Experimental Station of the Institute of Horticultural Research in the second half of the 1930s.
The present material derives from a breeding program started twenty years ago.
The major aims in breeding have been to improve winter hardiness, yield and fruit quality.
The other important objective has been to improve resistance against cane diseases.
Two cultivars from this program have been registered: the summer-fruiting variety ‘Fertódi zamatos’ (1986) and the dual-cropping variety ‘Fertódi kétszertermó’ (1994). Several elite selections of summer-fruiting raspberries are near cultivar status.