PERFORMANCE OF ROMANIAN APRICOT CULTIVARS

The Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) breeding program at the Fruit Research Station in Constanta, Romania, began in 1971, with the establishment of a fruit tree genebank.
The first hybrids that were field planted were obtained from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
The apricot tree hybridization at Constanta, also began in 1977. The objectives were to develop very early or very late ripening, to increase the productivity, to increase fruit quality, to increase the dormant period, to increase the resistance to diseases and to delay bloom.
To achieve these goals, pollen was obtained and hybrids were made in collaboration with scientists at Rutgers University.
The Constanta Station first released two cultivars: ‘Traian’ and ‘Tudor’. The later diversification of the apricot genetic base allowed for the release of additional cultivars: Auras, ‘Danubiu’, and Cristal’ in 2003, and ‘Fortuna’, ‘Amiral’, and ‘Orizont’, and ‘Augustin’ in 2004. Each new cultivar was selected to meet some of the proposed apricot breeding objectives.

XXVII International Horticultural Congress – IHC2006: II International Symposium on Plant Genetic Resources of Horticultural Crops

E. Topor, M. Trandafirescu, B. Viorica

apricot species, breeding, apricot cultivar, selection

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.760.70