CROSS-COMPATIBILITY STUDIES IN SOME HUNGARIAN SWEET CHERRY HYBRIDS

A sweet cherry fertilization experiment was begun with 6 maternal and 7 pollen partners (Hungarian sweet cherry selections plus ‘Stella’). Self-fertility was determined by analyzing fruit set after unassisted self-, hand-self- and open-pollination in 1999 and 2001. Among the presumably self-fertile pollinizers, only ‘IV-6/240’ seemed to be self-sterile.

Compatibility relationships were assessed over 2 years for 20 combinations in which the maternal cultivars were self-sterile and the pollinators self-fertile.
The combinations resulting in 10% or more fruit set were considered to be compatible.
Of these, 5 combinations were fully compatible, while 7 were clearly incompatible.
There were some contradictory results in 8 test-cross combinations, probably for cold weather conditions during 2001 bloom, which therefore should be repeated.
In 2000 and 2001, pollen tube growth was examined for two combinations (‘Margit’ x ‘Alex’ and ‘Germersdorfi 3’ x ‘Alex’) in which incompatibility of these partners was confirmed.
Some self-fertile hybrids/cultivars, even ‘Stella’, were poor pollinizers in certain combinations.
This contradicts the premise that self-fertile cultivars are universal pollen donors.

IV International Cherry Symposium

ZS. Békefi, S. Brózik

Prunus avium, pollination, fruit set, self-fertility, pollen tube, universal donor

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.667.8