Articles
POMOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DESSERT PLUM CULTIVARS IN LATVIA
Article number
874_48
Pages
337 – 344
Language
English
Abstract
The plum landraces and cultivars grown in Latvia represent an interesting result of long-term introduction and hybridization of Western European, Russian and lately also American cultivars.
The local climate requires a specific assortment of cultivars, different from that of the southern and continental climatic fruit growing areas.
Such traits as winter hardiness, specific disease resistance and early maturation during cool summers are among those most important.
Plum plantations in Latvia include cultivars derived from P. domestica (most of traditional cultivars like Victoria and Reine-Claude dOullins), and more recently, diploid cultivars derived from crosses between P. salicina (including ssp. ussuriensis), P. cerasifera, P. simonii and P. americana (Kometa, etc.). A particular group is the Eurasia plums, which were developed in Russia by crossing between diploid and hexaploid (domestic) plums and subsequently backcrossed to get hexaploid material (Aleinaya, Zarechnaya Rannaya, etc.). Over the period of 1996–2006 pomological characteristics were studied in about 100 plum table cultivars at the Latvia State Institute of Fruit-Growing.
Studies were conducted on some more important fruit properties (size, shape, skin colour, flesh colour and juiciness), stone adherence in fruit, maturation time, tree vigour, yield, winter hardiness and resistance to fungal diseases, as well as some biochemical parameters in order to select the best table cultivars for commercial growing in Latvia.
Based on the results of research and consumer polls, of the studied cultivars the best characteristics for fresh consumption were manifested by the very early cultivars Kometa, Naidyona, Aleinaya; early cultivars Ave, Violetta, Julius, Zarechnaya Rannaya, Renklod Ranniy Donetskiy; mid-season ripening cultivars Jubileum, Okskaya and late cultivars Minjona, Lase, Kijevas Vela, as well as in cultivars well-known in Latvia such as Reine-Claude dOullins and Victoria.
The local climate requires a specific assortment of cultivars, different from that of the southern and continental climatic fruit growing areas.
Such traits as winter hardiness, specific disease resistance and early maturation during cool summers are among those most important.
Plum plantations in Latvia include cultivars derived from P. domestica (most of traditional cultivars like Victoria and Reine-Claude dOullins), and more recently, diploid cultivars derived from crosses between P. salicina (including ssp. ussuriensis), P. cerasifera, P. simonii and P. americana (Kometa, etc.). A particular group is the Eurasia plums, which were developed in Russia by crossing between diploid and hexaploid (domestic) plums and subsequently backcrossed to get hexaploid material (Aleinaya, Zarechnaya Rannaya, etc.). Over the period of 1996–2006 pomological characteristics were studied in about 100 plum table cultivars at the Latvia State Institute of Fruit-Growing.
Studies were conducted on some more important fruit properties (size, shape, skin colour, flesh colour and juiciness), stone adherence in fruit, maturation time, tree vigour, yield, winter hardiness and resistance to fungal diseases, as well as some biochemical parameters in order to select the best table cultivars for commercial growing in Latvia.
Based on the results of research and consumer polls, of the studied cultivars the best characteristics for fresh consumption were manifested by the very early cultivars Kometa, Naidyona, Aleinaya; early cultivars Ave, Violetta, Julius, Zarechnaya Rannaya, Renklod Ranniy Donetskiy; mid-season ripening cultivars Jubileum, Okskaya and late cultivars Minjona, Lase, Kijevas Vela, as well as in cultivars well-known in Latvia such as Reine-Claude dOullins and Victoria.
Authors
E. Kaufmane, L. Ikase, D. Seglina
Keywords
Prunus domestica L., Prunus salicina Lindl., diploid plums, cultivars, pomological characteristics, fruit quality
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