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The evaluated sweet cherry genebank was established at the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology Holovousy Ltd. in 1989. Holovousy has an annual temperature of 8.4°C and precipitation of 663.5 mm. Since its establishment, new accessions have continuously supplemented this collection. The collection (three plants representing each cultivar) was planted at an altitude of 320 m with spacing of 6.0×6.0 m on Prunus avium rootstock. Weed-free strips were maintained under the bushes with the application of herbicide. Regularly cut grass was established between the rows. Here, we report the evaluation of economically important characters in 26 early-ripening sweet cherry cultivars in 2015 and 2016. Fruits of early-ripening sweet cherry cultivars ripened in the 1st and 2nd cherry weeks. These early cultivars ripened at the same time as the reference cultivar ‘Burlat’, or 10 days earlier. Vegetative and fruit characters were evaluated. Phenotypic characterisation revealed high diversity among the analysed germplasm. ‘Merchant’ (8.27 g), ‘Valerij Tschkalov’ (8.24 g), and ‘Burlat’ (7.36 g) had the biggest fruits. In contrast, ‘Fruheste der Mark’ (2.45 g) and ‘Moravska rychlice’ (2.94 g) had the smallest fruits. While ‘Early Rivers’, ‘Burlat’, and ‘Merchant’ ranked the highest for taste, ‘Kisinevskaja’, ‘Moravska rychlice’, ‘Munchenberska’, ‘Fruheste der Mark’, ‘Rivan’, ‘Skierniewice 1’, and ‘Skorospielka’ ranked the lowest. The most important sweet cherry cultivars are described in this paper.

Fruit cracking of sweet cherries is a major global problem for growers. The rain protective covering system seems to be the best option to prevent the cracking caused by rain. Although the aim of covering is to protect the cherries against the cracking, there are also cases of cracking without fruit wetting under covers. Despite this fact the covering system is still the profitable option to reduce the fruit cracking induced by rain. An experiment using a rain protective covering system in sweet cherries was done by Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology in Holovousy in 2013-2016. The trial was established in the orchard located in Holovousy (Czech Republic, Eastern Bohemia). Fruit weight, soluble solid content, fruit firmness and percentage of cracked fruits were observed in the cultivars ‘Aranka’, ‘Amid’, ‘Burlat’, ‘Early Korvik’, ‘Horka’, ‘Jacinta’, ‘Justyna’, ‘Kasandra’, ‘Kordia’, ‘Regina’, ‘Sandra’, ‘Tamara’, and ‘Vanda’. The trees of cherry cultivars were grafted on rootstock Gisela 5 and trained as free spindle at 5×1.5 m spacing. Results were compared to a control variation consisting of uncovered trees in the experimental orchard. Rain protective covering of cherry orchard was the most effective in fruit cracking elimination within cultivars ‘Burlat’, ‘Tamara’ and ‘Justyna’. Fruit cracking was affected by weather conditions depending on the year. Although the amount of precipitation mostly affected the fruit cracking in uncovered orchard fruit, cracking was also observed in the covered orchard depending on cultivar. Impact of rain protective covering to quality of fruits due to the evaluation was not evident.

Sweet cherry is a vegetatively propagated, perennial plant with high level of heterozygosity and ancient breeding history. Therefore, it is necessary to keep, conserve and evaluate known genetic resources for future breeding programs and fruit production stability. In present, the utilization of DNA molecular genetic methods is the best suitable method for evaluation of individual accessions, so that we eliminated duplications and characterized genetic relationships. Recently, there are many different molecular methods but the most reliable are SSR markers. In our work, we used PCR primer combinations for 20 SSR and 2 EST-SSR markers for analyses of 82 current, old and local sweet cherry cultivars from Czech genetic resources of the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology in Holovousy. In total, 113 polymorphic markers were amplified which we used for hierarchical cluster analysis of genetic variability. The resulting dendrogram corresponded with genealogical and geobotanical characteristics of individual accessions which were divided into five clusters. The breeding history of several known accessions was also proved.

The research and Breeding Institute of Pomology (RBIP) Holovousy Ltd. holds a fruit germplasm of about 2,500 accessions in field collections. Unfortunately trees in these collections are at permanent risk from environmental conditions, pests and diseases. Germplasm preservation of vegetatively propagated fruit species in field collections may be supplemented using biotechnological methods. In vitro storage under slow-growth conditions is one of these techniques. The experiment with medium term storage of in vitro cultures of strawberry, apple, pear and sweet cherry at a low above zero temperature of 4.0°C was used in RBIP Holovousy Ltd. as a duplicate method to field collections. In vitro cultures were established on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg L(-1) 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) in aluminium-capped 100-mL Erlenmeyer flasks with five explants 25 mL(-1) of medium. The experiment was successful and viable shoot tips were obtained at the end of storage period. The best overall results were obtained awith sweet cherry rootstock genotype P-HL-A, where 92.0% explants survived without an intervening subculture after seven months. In contrast, the lowest survival was observed with sweet cherry P-HL-C, where only 2.0% of shoots survived 7 months from the beginning of experiment. Remaining genotypes of fruit species used in the experiment had intermediate results. The storage of in vitro cultures at 4°C appears to be a promising technique as a duplicate short- or medium- term conservation method for fruit germplasm, which can considerably reduce labour and material costs. Moreover, in vitro collections are year-long accessible, and enable germplasm distribution among germplasm curators and the user community.

Sweet cherries are self-incompatible determined by a gametophytic self-incompatibility system (GSI). The self-incompatibility is controlled by a multi-allelic S-locus and includes two genes coding for the synthesis of proteins responsible for the incompatibility response. The knowledge about the S-allele constitution of cultivars is very important for fruit growers and breeders. Recently, molecular methods have been developed to distinguish the S-alleles in sweet cherries and different molecular primers for the PCR-based identification of all S-alleles were designed during the last years. In our work, we analyzed S-locus genotypes by 10 universal and specific PCR primer combinations within 82 current, old and local sweet cherry cultivars from Czech genetic resources of Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology in Holovousy. We confirmed previous S-genotyping for 46 accessions except ‘Droganova’, ‘Hedelfingen’, ‘Erika Fruhe Meckenheimer’, ‘Huldra’, ‘Rivan’, ‘Vanda’ and ‘Winkler’. It can be due to mislabeling or mistakes in previous analyses. Newly, S-genotyping was determined for 36 accessions when we found 4 new S-loci combinations. Totally, we detected S-locus combinations in 21 incompatibility groups. The most frequent incompatibility groups were III (S3S4), IV (S2S3), VI (S3S6) and II (S1S3) with 13, 11, 9 and 8 genotypes, respectively.

The sour cherry breeding program at the Research Institute of Horticulture (formerly known as the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture until the end of 2010) in Skierniewice began in 1954. The main objective of this program is to obtain new sour cherry genotypes which are well-suited to the climate and soil conditions in Poland, and which produce typical dessert fruit or fruit for use by the food processing and frozen-food industries. The new cultivars should be characterized by low susceptibility to diseases with economic costs. An important direction of sour cherry breeding is also towards obtaining new genotypes that will facilitate further intensification of fruit production by using combine harvesters. As part of the sour cherry breeding program, studies have also been conducted on selection within the Prunus mahaleb species of new generative rootstocks for sour cherry trees. To date, 11 cultivars and two generative rootstocks have been included in the national register of cultivars. Among these, only the cultivars ‘Sabina’, ‘Wanda’, and ‘Lucyna’, and both the generative rootstocks ‘Popiel’ and ‘Piast’ are used in commercial production. The most recent cultivar submitted for registration is ‘Granda’.

The chestnut (Castanea spp.) tree is extremely valuable for it ecological role in the environment as well as its role in the production of sweet, edible nuts, decay resistant timber, and the production of chemical compounds such as tannins. Although native to the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, it has been planted successfully throughout the southern hemisphere including Australia, New Zealand and Chile. Currently, the genus Castanea is represented by 13 species ranging in size from shrubs to large trees. Five species of Castanea are native to East Asia, seven species are native to North America and one species is native to Europe. Many chestnut cultivars have been selected or bred for various purposes such as improving nut or timber quality, increasing yield, enhancing resistance to diseases or pests and winter hardiness. For the purpose of registering new cultivars, distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) of the cultivars need to be described and verified. For this aim, morphological characteristics of the cultivar candidates should be determined. There are many morphological traits used for identifying cultivar candidates. However, reliable characteristics need to be selected and scored. Generally, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) criteria have been used for this purpose, but we believe the UPOV criteria need to be updated. In this review, various descriptive morphological chestnut parameters are discussed to promote the list of current and new criteria. © 2018 International Society for Horticultural Science. All Rights Reserved.

Growth and yield characteristics of three plum cultivars (Prunus domestica) ‘Elena’, ‘Tophit’ and ‘Cacanska lepotica’ grafted on seven different rootstocks were evaluated in the years 2010-2015. The tested material included St. Julien A as a standard, Jaspi-Fereley, Julior-Ferdor, St Julien 2, Pixy, MY-KL-A and Wangenheim seedling. Furthermore, ‘Tophit’ was assessed also on VVA1. The trees were planted in the experimental orchard of the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology Holovousy in the Czech Republic. The orchard was established on medium fertile loamy soil in a non-irrigated plot in the autumn 2009. Planting distance was 5.5×2.7 m and the trees were trained to a central leader. The following characteristics were assessed: flowering intensity, yield, trunk cross sectional area (TCSA), crown volume, yield efficiency related to TCSA, yield efficiency related to crown volume, average fruit weight and suckering. We observed significant differences in growth and yields among the rootstock combinations in all of the cultivars. The most vigorous were MY-KL-A, St. Julien 2 and Jaspi-Fereley for all of the cultivars and also Julior-Ferdor for ‘Elena’ and ‘Tophit’. The least vigorous were Wangenheim seedling, Pixy and for ‘Tophit’ also VVA1. The production of suckers was generally at low level and dependent on grafted cultivar. All of the cultivars reached the highest yields on rootstock Jaspi-Fereley. The least productive were the trees on rootstock Pixy and in case of ‘Tophit’ also on VVA1. Similarly, the highest yield efficiency related to TCSA was on Jaspi-Fereley for all of the cultivars. Jaspi-Fereley had also a good yield efficiency related to crown volume and brought fruits of good weight. We concluded that Jaspi-Fereley is the best rootstock in non-irrigated orchards in our conditions for the first years of the growing period. Though it grows more than standard rootstock St. Julien A, it is precocious, highly productive and brings fruits of high weight.

This experiment was carried out during the 2012 and 2013 seasons on polyembryonic 'Zebda' mango seeds planted at the nursery of pomology department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Egypt. This study aimed to investigate the effect of quick dipping in different plant growth regulators, namely, GA3, IBA (indole butyric acid) and BAP (benzyl amino burine) at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 ppm besides the control on seedling yield of mango seeds. The results indicated that GA3 at 500 and 4000 ppm as well as IBA at 500 ppm significantly increased the total seedling yield expressed as number of emerged seedling per seed and germination percent. Seedling length and vigor index were significantly increased by GA3 at 2000 and 4000 ppm compared to the control. Leaf number per seedling increased significantly by GA3 application at 2000 ppm. BAP treatments had a negative effect on most of the studied parameters.

The aim of this study was to determine the optimum harvest time of ‘Jinhong’ plums. In 2013, differences in fruit quality and volatile components of ‘Jinhong’ plum at different harvest dates were studied in a field experiment in a plum orchard at Shandong Institute of Pomology. The results showed that fruit weight and soluble sugars, vitamin C, tannin, anthocyanin, and calcium content of the fruit increased with delay in harvest time. The soluble solids and total acid and total flavonoids content first increased and then decreased with delay in harvest time, and the firmness decreased with delay in harvest time. Plums could release unique volatile compounds at different harvest dates, but the rates of volatile compound synthesis decreased as the delay in harvest time increased; an electronic nose was sensitive to changes in volatile compounds in plums harvested at different times. The optimal harvest time of ‘Jinhong’ plums in central Shandong was 20-25 July.

7th International Cherry Symposium -- JUN 23-27, 2013 -- Plasencia, SPAIN WOS: 000416790300050 The sweet cherry is apparently native in some parts of North Anatolia. There are a lot of cherry genotypes in Anatolia (Asia Minor). These genotypes may be genetic resources for developing new cultivars. This study was conducted on 42 cherry genotypes collected from Amasya and Giresun, Turkey to determine phenological, morphological and pomological characteristics such as first blossom, full blossom, harvest date, tree growth habit, leaf width and length (cm), fruit weight (g), yield, soluble solids content (%), titrable acid content (%), flavor, fruit firmness, appearance of the fruit, fruit width (mm), seed weight (g), fruit stalk length and thickness (mm), fruit shape, and skin color, and to select promising cherry genotypes. To determine the promising cherry genotypes, a "Modified Weighted-Ranked Method" was used based on fruit weight, yield, and appearance of the fruit, flavor, harvest date and soluble solids content; six cherry genotypes were determined as promising. Genotype 'A5' of the promising cherry genotypes had the highest score, followed by 'A6', 'A4', 'A12', 'A8' and 'S2'. Int Soc Horticultural Sci Ondokuz Mayis University Scientific Research CouncilOndokuz Mayis University [BAP ZRT.1904.10.023] This study was supported by Ondokuz Mayis University Scientific Research Council (BAP ZRT.1904.10.023).

A breeding program was started in the Institute of Forestry and Pomology 40 years ago aiming to develop early ripening table grape cultivars with ?Muscat? flavor and good adaptability for local areas. Since that time approximately 150,000 hybrid plants have been grown resulting from 2,500 hybridizations. To date, twelve table grape cultivars have been released, among them, ten cultivars were obtained by interspecific hybridization in the species of Vitis vinifera, and two cultivars were selected from interspecific hybridization between V. vinifera and Vitis labrusca. ?Aishenmeigui? is a seedless cultivar with a purple-reddish color and sweet ?Muscat? flavor. It matures extremely early, usually at middle to late July. ?Zaomeiguixiang? is a cultivar with a color and eating quality that is similar to its female parent ?Muscat of Hamburg? but matures four weeks earlier. ?Xiangfei? is a green seeded cultivar that matures at early August with very strong ?Muscat? flavor and crisp flesh, average berry weight is 7-8 g. ?Zaomanao? is a red seeded cultivar that matures at the third to fourth week of July and has good resistance to cold. ?Cuiyu? is a seeded cultivar with yellow green skin color and good resistance to disease. ?Ruiduxiangyu? is a very crispy and sweet cultivar, with good cluster shape, berry size over 18 mm, and like its male parent ?Xiangfei?, has ?Muscat? flavor. ?Yanhong? is a late ripening seeded cultivar with good resistance to disease. ?Ruiducuixia? is a seeded cultivar that matures in early August, with beautiful red color and very crisp flesh. ?Zizhenzhu? has purple skin color with good shipping quality. ?Ruiduwuheyi? is a late ripening seedless cultivar with purple reddish color; natural berry weight is 7.8 g. ?Fenghou? is selected from the seedlings of ?Kyoho? but with firmer flesh and better shipping quality. ?Ruifengwuhe? is from a seedless mutation of ?Pione? and it matures in middle September. These cultivars have been used in the Beijing area and have spread to some northern provinces. The program aims to release more seedless cultivars with ?Muscat? flavor.

Elderberry cultivars ‘Albida’, ‘AllesA¶â€™, ‘Aurea’, ‘Bohatka’, ‘Dana’, ‘Haschberg’, ‘Heidegg 13’, ‘KA¶rsA¶r’, ‘Mammut’, ‘Pregarten’, ‘Riese aus VoAŸloch’, ‘Sambo’, ‘Sambu’, ‘Samdal’, ‘Sampo’, ‘Samyl’, ‘Weihenstephan’ and wild elderberry were grown in a unique experimental collection of elderberry at the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology at Holovousy Ltd. This collection was examined for composition of substances in fruits because elderberry has high concentrations of compounds with antioxidative activity, especially anthocyanins, flavonoids and vitamins. The aim of this study was to compare content of selected substances in fruits of elderberry cultivars and wild elderberry. Results showed the highest juice yield in cultivars ‘AllesA¶â€™, ‘Haschberg’, ‘KA¶rsA¶r’ and ‘Samyl’. In contrast, the lowest juice yield was detected in fruits of wild elderberry as well as ‘Aurea’ and ‘Sambo’ cultivars. The highest total antioxidant capacity was found in fruits of ‘Haschberg’, followed by wild elderberry and ‘Weihenstephan’, ‘Pregarten’ and ‘Riese aus VoI²loch’. The lowest values were recorded in cultivars ‘Albida’ and ‘Aurea’. High content of reducing sugars was found in cultivars ‘Samdal’, ‘Haschberg’ and ‘KA¶rsA¶r’ compared to other cultivars and wild elderberry.

Genetic stability of mutant cultivars is menaced if imported from far geographic locations. Different cultivars have different degrees of climate adaptation that is influenced by genetic variation. Some mutant cultivars lose their characteristics during adaptation trials in new climate. To assess probable genetic regression of fruit traits in apple mutants, ‘Gala schniga’ and ‘Fuji kiku 8’, pomology of fruit samples was studied for physical, biochemical characteristics and the sensorial analyzes were compared with main mother cultivars ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’. The samples were evaluated in the Post-Harvest Laboratory of Horticulture Research Department of SPII. The plants were compared also for fruit set percent based on more biological growth stages. Field investigations were made on morphologies and growth traits in a new geographical condition, Karaj-Iran, characterized by semi-arid climate, high solar radiation and low relative humidity, so different climatic conditions from origin points of the mutants and or the main cultivars that could affect genetic stability of the mutants in particular. The results showed that fruit weight and diameter, eye and stalk cavity width, stalk length and diameter, flesh firmness, total soluble solids (TSS) and pH prevailed in the new mutants related to the mother cultivars, while the mutants presented minor values for fruit diameter, fruit weigh and titrable acidity (TA). Although chlorophyll content, leaf width and length, internode number, lenticels number and diameter of annual shoots resulted higher in the mother cultivars, high rates of sensorial analyzes were achieved for the important features of aroma, sweetness, juiciness, flesh firmness, peel thickness, flesh color and total acceptance in both ‘Fuji kiku’ and ‘Gala schniga’.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) is an underutilized crop on commercial fruit farms in the Czech Republic. Although the species is native, elderberry has not been grown commercially there, despite its great potential. Currently, there is interest among organic growers in growing elderberry as a complementary crop. Interest in elderberry blossoms and fruits has also been expressed by both domestic and foreign processing industries. A unique, experimental collection of elderberry in terms of cultivar numbers was developed at the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology Holovousy Ltd. In 2009, the cultivars ‘Albida’, ‘AllesA¶â€™, ‘Aurea’, ‘Bohatka’, ‘Dana’, ‘Haschberg’, ‘Heidegg 13’, ‘KorsA¸r’, ‘Mammut’, ‘Pregarten’, ‘Riese aus VoAŸloch’, ‘Sambo’, ‘Sambu’, ‘Samdal’, ‘Sampo’, ‘Samyl’ and ‘Weihenstephan’ were planted. During ensuing years, this collection has been gradually supplemented with other cultivars including ‘Juicy’, ‘Tulbing’ and ‘Weisser Holunder’. Some of these cultivars were obtained from neighbouring countries, which have grown and carried out the research on this crop for a long time and have similar natural and climatic conditions. Vegetative and fruit characteristics of the different cultivars were evaluated under the conditions in the Czech Republic. Based on our findings, suitable elderberry cultivars were recommended for growers.

In the years 2009-2010, frost resistance of artificially frozen plants of nine Polish apple rootstocks (P 2, P 14, P 16, P 22, P 59, P 60, P 66, P 67 and P 68) bred at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture (recently renamed Research Institute of Horticulture), and of M.7, M.9, M.26, M.106 rootstocks and Antonovka seedlings was tested. Controlled freezing was performed in a freezing chamber manufactured by Binder GmbH, Germany. Prior to exposing the rootstocks to freezing temperatures, they had been kept in sealed plastic bags in a cold store (0°C). During freezing, 10 rootstocks of each genotype were inside the same plastic bag to protect them from drying. Freezing was performed on 3-5 March 2009 and on 15-17 February 2010. On each freezing date, the plants were subjected to the temperatures of -8°C, -10°C and -12°C for 3 hours. During freezing, the temperature was lowered at a rate of 2°C per hour, and after freezing it was raised at the same rate until it reached 0°C. Rootstocks of the listed clones treated in the same way but not frozen served as the control. After freezing, the plastic bags with rootstocks were again placed in a cold store and subsequently planted in a field at the beginning of April. After planting, the rootstocks were cut back to a height of 5 cm above the soil level and their regeneration was evaluated during the growing season. The best regeneration (average for two years of evaluation) showed rootstocks P 60, P 67 and P 68; rootstocks P 59, P 66 as well as M.7, M.9, Antonovka seedlings and M.106 also regenerated well.

In order to improve the quality of fresh produce, in terms of food security, reduction of pesticide usage, preserving the environment and health of farmers, many scab resistant apple cultivars were released from several institutions, mainly located in temperate zones during the last years. The cultivation of temperate fruit trees in tropical and subtropical areas, where scab is one of the main diseases, could benefit from introduction of these cultivars, for the reasons cited above. Unfortunately, the indication of chilling requirements has been often missed in the pomology characteristics of the cultivars, although blossom and harvesting times are indicated. In order to provide more information on this matter some scab resistant apple cultivars planted in 2002 were tested. During the winter season 30 one-year-old twigs and 30 shoots with spurs were taken from the trees every week and kept with their bases in water and in a growth chamber for 20 days at 21°C. Apical and lateral buds that grew were both counted and evaluated as to percentage of the total and as to bud development stage. Temperatures during the winters were recorded and both the Richardson and Dynamic Model formulae were tested. The onset of bud break and the end of rest in the one-year-old shoots and in the spurs were assessed by means of the ratio between the chilling units (CU), the chill portions (CP), and by the above mentioned indexes, applying two parameters (% bud break or burst and bud development stage). Significant regressions were observed between the indexes and CU and CP. Throughout the years the prediction of end of the rest was generally lightly better when Dynamic Model was used. The two different buds varied in length of endo-dormancy within cultivars; this can modify the value of their chilling requirement. In the Po Valley the evaluation of the chilling requirement of some apple cultivars resistant to scab showed that low and mid-low cultivars are available and could be grown in tropical and subtropical zones.

Peach (Prunus persica L.) is a delicious and healthy summer fruit in China. During 2000-2008, Sino-Thai Cooperation on research and development project between the Institute of Forestry and Pomology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China) and Chiang Mai Royal Agriculture Research Center (supported by the Department of Agriculture of Thailand) was carried out in peach breeding. This cooperation made some progress. The defoliation of new low-chilling requirement cultivars is later than the high-chilling cultivars but the blooming time is not significantly earlier in Beijing. In addition, cold resistance is not directly associated with chilled requirement. The characteristic of five low-chilling cultivars grown in the greenhouse in northern China were observed. The results suggested that ‘Desertred’ and ‘Sunsplash’ could be grown directly in the greenhouse in northern China. They are the good parents for breeding specific peach for greenhouse cultivation. To obtain enough hybrid seeds, the hybridization between high chilling (female) and low chilling (male) cultivars were done in Beijing. The hybrid seedlings were cultivated and selected in Beijing. The selected hybrids were grafted to mature plants in Thailand. At present, Sino and Thai together obtained 68 crosses in total with approximately 5,000 hybrid seeds. Approximately 3,000 seedlings were planted in the field of Beijing. Ten selections were obtained from the work by far. At the same time, the cultivated characters of a few cultivars grafted on the rootstocks with high-chilling and low-chilling requirement in the greenhouse in northern China were observed. The defoliating period of the latter is delayed and forming flower bud is easier and the time of blooming is about 15 days earlier. According to our results of the international cooperation, the cooperation model is effective and it can be a reference for the similar cooperation.

Blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum L., are rich in anthocyanins and their antioxidant capacity has been related with anti vascular diseases, anti-cancer and anti age effects. Total content and relative distribution in polyphenols are influenced by many factors, including cultivar and growing area. Thus, the main objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of two different cultivation areas on the levels of anthocyanins in blueberry cultivars ‘Berkeley’, ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Patriot’ and ‘Toro’, picked up in Rome, CRA - Fruit Tree Research Centre, or at Mazowsze, Pomology Department of Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland. Anthocyanin compounds were measured by an HPLC based method with an UV-Visible-Diode Array Detector. The results of the quantitative evaluations of single anthocyanins showed that glycosides of delphinidins and petunidins are more representative in berries of cultivars picked in Rome, while malvidin glycoside content was higher in berries picked in Warsaw area. Our results suggest that the anthocyanin accumulation is mainly related to an interaction between the cultivar and the climate area which affects either the total content or the anthocyanin profile.

‘Liaozhen 2’ is a promising dwarfing rootstock for apple. It was selected from the F1 progenies of a cross of Malus prunifolia × M.9 made by the Liaoning Research Institute of Pomology, Xiongyue, China in 1980. A 22-year investigation with this rootstock showed that it is dwarfing, precocious, has rooting ability and is productive similar to M26. The cold hardiness of ‘Liaozhen 2’ was better than that of M26. Grafting compatibility studies of this rootstock with Malus baccata L., and with the major commercial apple cultivars such as ‘Fuji’, ‘Ralls’, ‘Yueshuai’, showed good graft unions. This apple rootstock can also be used as the inter-stem for apple propagation. The outstanding merit of this rootstock is its strong cold hardiness but its resistance to local diseases should be evaluated if this rootstock is to be introduced commercially.

New trials on cranberry experimental production were recently performed at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture in Skierniewice. The first results are presented here.

Worldwide breeding activities take advantage of the positive attributes of columnar grown apple trees for yield efficiency, production management as well as for frost and drought resistance. For 15 years, the Pomology Section of the Geisenheim Research Center has concentrated on the breeding of columnar apple trees (CATS) and has released a number of table and processing varieties over that time. As a contribution to the improvement in apple production in warm climates, five candidate clones/varieties, from the breeding programme in Geisenheim, were crossed with the Israeli low chilling variety 'Anna' in 2003. In April 2004, approximately 500 seedlings were established in the field after temporally differentiated seed stratification. In the years 2005 to 2007 the chronological sequences of bud swelling and sprouting were evaluated. About 12% of the seedlings were low chilling candidates. The Brazilian apple variety 'Primicia' was used as a reference variety. Approximately 60% of the selected low chilling candidates were of the columnar type. In spring 2007, nearly all candidates had set flowers, so that in summer/autumn 2007, fruits of most of the candidates could be evaluated. It is expected that from this pool of candidates, some will have the desired attributes of columnar growth, low chilling requirement and good fruit quality. That achievement would mean a fundamental improvement for the apple production in warmer climates. The results will be presented at the VIII th International Symposium on Temperate Zone Fruits in the Tropics and Subtropics in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, in October 2007.

The plum-apricot hybrids, numbers 16-19, 16-22, 16-23, 16-25, 16-26 and 16-29, were established in 1989 from crossings of the plum cultivar 'Stanley' of Prunus domestica L. species with the apricot cultivar 'Modesto' of Prunus armeniaca L. species. They can be attributed to a separate botanical species with the working name Prunus domestiaca. The plum-apricot hybrid No. 23-128 was established by crossing the plum 'Green gage' of P. domestica species with the apricot 'Melitopolskij tchjornij' of the purple apricot species Prunus dasycarpa (Ehrh.) Borkh. We think that hybrid 23-128 can be attributed to a separate botanical species with the working name Prunus domesticarpa. All the hybrids obtained had dark coloured fruits and fine pubescence over the fruit skin. Only hybrid No 16-26 had yellow coloured fruits. The plum type dominated in the shape of the fruits, stones and leaves.

7th International Congress on Hazelnut -- OCT 31, 2009 -- Viterbo, ITALY WOS: 000305695500004 This study was carried out to determine some nut and kernel characteristics of clones of 'Tombul' hazelnut cultivars grown in villages of Bulancak in the province of Giresun in the years 2005-2006. The clones had nut weights between 1.76-2.40 g, kernel weights between 0.95-1.16 g, shell thickness between 0.67-1.20 mm, nut number per cluster between 3.08-4.15 number/cluster, nut size between 16.34-18.57 mm, kernel size between 12.86-13.62 mm and kernel cavity between 1.54-2.69 mm. The study found that nut number per cluster increased as nut size and shell thickness decreased but kernel percentage increased. Concerning the decrease of nut number per cluster, nut size and shell thickness increased but kernel percentage decreased.

'Shimei 5' a new strawberry cultivar, derived from the cross 'Y95' × 'New Star' made in 2001, 'Y95' was a fine variety which was introduced from Israel and 'New Star' was bred by the Shijiazhuang Pomology Institute. 'Shimei 5' has conical or flat conical, bright red and shiny fruit, average weight of the primary fruit is 38.8 g, average weight of the secondary fruit is 25.3 g, weight of the biggest fruit is 67 g, fruit is uniform and tidy; fruit flesh is red, the texture is dense and flesh is thin, fiber is low, pith is bigger with no cavity, the fruit has medium juicy, fragrance is intense, fruit has good flavour, the soluble solid content is 8.83%, quality is excellent, fruit elastic force is 0.906 kg/cm 2 , fruit flesh resistance is 0.525 kg/cm , firmness is high, consequently storage and transportation is good; high yield, disease-resistant, dormancy period is short. It is suitable for dew place culture and semi-forcing culture.

This study was carried out in the Pozanti Agricultural Research and Application Centre of the University of Çukurova to determine some qualitative traits of promising quince types which were selected in different regions of Turkey, at Pozanti ecological conditions. Kalecik (0612), Ekmek (2604 and 2609), Cengelköy (2601), Şeker (3403), Limon (0514), Bardacik (3704), Altin Ayva (3401), Tekkes (0156), Istanbul (0518), Yerli (1918) and Eşme (5401 and 5403) were used as plant material. Some pomological traits, amounts of tannins and difficulty of swallow traits of these quince types were determined. According to the results, the largest fruits were obtained from Bardakci, Istanbul, Limon and Seker quince types respectively and the smallest fruits were obtained from Altin Ayva. On the other hand, difficulty of swallow traits were least in Seker, Limon, Tekkes and Eşme (5401) quince types respectively and the highest difficulty of swallow trait was obtained from Cengelköy.

This study was carried out to evaluate morphological and pomological characteristics of some little known blueberry types in Turkey during 2003–2006. Caucasian whortleberry (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.) populations were collected from the coast area to high altitude in Trabzon and Artvin. The plant habit was generally shrub; growth habit was erect or prostrate; condensation wax on berries was high; berries were round, oblate or ovoid; berry taste ranged from sour to sweet; berry weight was 32.08–100.5 g/100 berries; total soluble solid was 7.43– 13.5%; cluster number of per plant was between 1 and 6. These wild selections will be evaluated in more detail. INTRODUCTION Turkey is a very important area for plant diversity. Many fruit species are grown and many different local or native fruit species and varieties are known. One of these is blueberries (Vaccinium) a fruit species from the Ericaceae family grown in temperate regions. Northern Turkey is a diversity hotspot for heathers (Ericaceae) and several little known Vaccinium species including blueberry, bilberry, lingonberry, bog blueberry, bog whortleberry or bog bilberry (Stevens, 1978; Agaoglu, 1986 and Celik, 2005). These species are widespread across Northeastern Anatolia and between 40 to 42° north, from Artvin to Canakkale. In the Black Sea Region, especially in plateaus, Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. and V. myrtilloides Michx. plants were endemic. These plants have economic importance (Celik et al., 2004). For many years wild blueberries have been harvested for commercial and home use in north-east and north-west Anatolia, in Turkey. The berry fruits of these Turkish species can be eaten. Those of V. arctostaphylos are especially appreciated (Stevens, 1978; Ayaz et al., 2001). Blueberries grow as a native fruit crop in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey and are locally consumed fresh or as jam. The main crops in this region are hazelnut and tea. Annual rainfall is 1000 mm, distributed throughout the year. Annual mean temperature is 14.5oC and annual mean relative humidity is 75%. Although it is known that Ericaceae family like acidity soils, it is not cultivated blueberries for commercial plant in Black Sea region having natural acidity soil. The first research in Turkey was begun by Celik (2003, 2004, 2005) in the year 2000. Otherwise researches on blueberries were started around 1900. Now, several commercial species were grown in the world (Himelrick, 2002; Lyrene, 2002). Vaccinium fruit crops are potentially important crops for the Black Sea region of Turkey because of its natural acidic soils and ecology. There are many wild blueberry types in this region. The objective of this study was to evaluate wild blueberry populations and determine some of the pomological traits of little known blueberries collected from the Artvin and Trabzon Provinces.

The selection and study of the performance of rootstocks for stone fruit species has been and remains one of the main tasks of the Department of Pomology of the Aula Dei Experimental Station. Initial selection was made from spontaneous Prunus germplasm, mainly open-pollinated, growing in Spain. In the first years, this selection programme included rooting ability as an important trait. Other main objectives were tolerance to calcareous soils and graft compatibility with a wide range of cultivars in the nursery. Elite candidates during these initial screens were virus tested, propagated and tested with a limited number of scion cultivars. Trees were planted in the field and grown under normal management techniques for the area, with records kept for several years, in which growth and fruiting were evaluated. Following this long process, several clonal rootstocks have been released and some of them are already under extensive commercial exploitation: the peach x almond hybrids 'Adafuel' and 'Adarcias', the pollizo plum 'Adesoto', the plum rootstock 'Adara' and the myrobalan 'Ademir'. Currently, the Prunus breeding programme is mainly directed to obtaining new stone fruit rootstocks from hybridisation within Prunus related species and selecting for specific adaptation to unfavourable Mediterranean environments. Good adaptation to replant sites, tolerance to chlorosis and waterlogging, resistance to nematodes and other soil borne pathogens, and graft compatibility are considered priority traits.

Influence of several plant bioregulators (PBRs) on yield and growth of strawberry plants in two field experiments was evaluated. Experiments were carried out at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Skierniewice, Poland, in the years 1997-2000. In the first experiment conducted from 1997 to 1999 three cultivars (‘Senga Sengana’, ‘Dukat’ and ‘Elkat’) were sprayed 3 times during the blooming time with new formulations of preparations containing 2-naphthoxyacetic acid (BNOA) and/or gibberellic acid (GA3). It was found that the tested cultivars responded differently to the applied PBRs. ‘Senga Sengana’ responded positively, while ‘Dukat’ and ‘Elkat’ did not. Among evaluated bioregulators the best results were obtained after the application of Betoxon Super 050 SL (salt of 2-naphthoxyacetic acid with triethanolamine). It resulted in increased yield (by 31.9%) and improved fruit quality. Fruits from treated plants were larger (by 11.6%) and firmer than those from the control ones. Application of the PBRs had no influence on the degree of fruit infection with grey mould. The second experiment was carried out in 2000. Its aim was to stimulate the vegetative growth (determined by formation of runners and daughter plants) of three strawberry cultivars which are poor in forming runners and therefore difficult to propagate (‘Selva’, ‘Mara des Bois’ and ‘Vikat’) by application (three times in mid summer) of several PBRs. The following PBRs were applied: Pomonit Super 05 SL (5% triethanolamine salt NAA), Paturyl 100 SL (10% BA), Gibrescol 10 MG (10% GA3), Promalin 3.6 SL (1.8% BA + 1.8% GA4+7) and ASAHI SL (trade name Atonik – 0.3% sodium para-nitro-phenolan + 0.2% sodium orto-nitrophenolan + 0.1% sodium 5-nitrogujakolan) – each of them in concentrations of 0.1% and 0.2%. The most simulative effect on daughter plants formation was established for Gibrescol 10 MG (0.2%) and Promalin 3.6 SL (0.2%), results being quite similar for both preparations. These treatments increased the number of daughter plants by almost 300% as compared with the untreated control mother plants.

This research was carried out at the University of Gaziosmanpasa of the Agricultural Faculty and the Inspection Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture in Tokat Province between the years 1997 and 1998. Five pomegranates were taken from each genotype under investigation, to conduct physical and chemical analyses. According to two years average, fruit weight was between 140.9-281.1 g, the weight of 100 kernels varied between 24.1-41.4 g, percentage of kernels changed from 43.4 % up to 61.3 %, skin thickness varied between 2.82-3.59 mm. Skin bottom colour was yellow, skin upper colour was pink-red, and fruit let colour changed form clear pink to dark red. In addition to this total soluble solid content was found between 13.5 %-16.7 % and total acidity between 2.66 %-3.58 %. INTRODUCTION The range of production and consumption of pomegranate grown in the tropic and subtropics zones are less comparable to other fruits, but pomegranates are an important part of the industry where it is used to produce fruit juice, vinegar, citric acid, dye and medicine (Cemeroglu, 1977; Dokuzoguz and Mendilcioglu, 1978; Onur, 1982; Onur, 1988). Anatolia, Caucasus and Iran are known as the motherland of pomegranate (Onur, 1988). In recent years, pomegranate has been grown in fruit orchards in Turkey while it was growing as a hedge in the past. This has considerably increased the profit of the farmers growing pomegranate (Yolmaz et al., 1995). Pomegranate growing has important advantages such as easy multiplication, adaptable to different soils and climatic conditions, and high yield per area. It is estimated that the production of pomegranate has reached 60.000 tons in Turkey in the last few years (Tibet and Onur, 1999). Increases in domestic consumption and in export have gained the interest of producers to this fruit. Studies have been conducted to determine different genotypes of pomegranate grown almost in all regions of Turkey. Variety standardisation of various characteristics and have significantly contributed to this development. Up to now, many researches aimed to determine the characteristics of pomegranate varieties and types grown in different parts of Turkey. Breeding work on this crop has also been intensively done in the past in Turkey (Dokuzoguz and Mendilcioglu, 1978; Onur and Kaska, 1985; Boz, 1988; Yolmaz et al., 1992; Ercan et al., 1991; Ercan et al., 1992; Yolmaz et al., 1995; Polat et al., 1999). Turkey ranks as the first in pomegranate production in the Mediterranean region with up to 20.000 tonnes, which constitutes 35 % of the total pomegranate production (Anonymous, 1998). Although the central part of the Tokat province is not suitable to grow pomegranate economically, the cultivation can be advised in the counties of Niksar and Erbaa of Tokat. Both counties have certain microclimate characteristics for temperate-zone pomology. The number of pomegranate trees is about 1100 in Tokat and the annual production reaches approx. 9 tons (Anonymous, 1996). Especially in Niksar farmers have grown pomegranate for a long time. The main aim of this study is to contribute to the conservation of Turkey’s plant genetic resources and to determinate the fruit characteristics of the present pomegranate genotypes. Proc. IS on Sust. Use Of Plant Biodiv. Eds. E. Duzyaman Y Tibet and Onur, 1999). In recent years, especially in West Europe, studies on conservation of natural genetic resources are intensified and it investments are more and more canalised to projects related to this subject (Kahn, 1985; Tan and Tan, 1999; Tan, 1999; Goschl, 1999; Hawtin, 1999). As a consequence, this study aimed to determine the situation of pomegranate population in the region by investigating the general characteristics of the present genotypes. It is expected that this study will show a way for further studies on plant biodiversity and the conservation of pomegranate genotypes. Literature Cited Anonymous 1998. Taromsal Yapo ve Uretim. DIE, Ankara. Boz, Y., 1988. Sanlourfa’da Yetistirilen Bazo Onemli Nar (Punica granatum L.) Cesitlerinin Morfolojik ve Pomolojik Ozellikleri Uzerinde Arastormalar (MSc Thesis). Ondokuz Mayos Univ. Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Inst.

Clonal selection was practiced in three hazelnut cultivars, 'Palaz', 'Kalinkara' and 'Çakõldak', collected in the villages of Ordu province over the past three years (1997-1999). The aim of this study was to select the highest quality types in each of these hazelnut cultivars. Based on an initial assessment of a total of 325 types, we selected five types from 'Palaz', three types from 'Kalinkara' and three types from 'Çakõ ldak' to study in more detail. The best types were selection numbers (S.N.) 528 in 'Palaz', 246 in 'Kalinkara' and 229 in 'Çakõldak'. The average values for these three selections were, respectively, 3.82, 4.39 and 3.50 for number of nuts per cluster; 18.49 mm, 19.49 mm and 17.81 mm for nut size; 2.40 g, 2.95 g and 1.65 g for nut weight; 55.25 %, 53.74 % and 53.48 % for kernel percentage; 1.04 mm, 1.14 mm and 0.88 mm for shell thickness; 90.75 %, 91.03 % and 80.75 % for percentage filled nuts; and 3.25 mm, 2.93 mm and 1.12 mm for kernel cavity size. In the selected types, the highest kernel percentage was 55.50% ('Palaz' S.N. 551), the highest fatty acid content was 69.07% ('Palaz' S.N. 528), the highest percentage of pellicle removal was 99.50% ('Palaz' S.N. 551); the heaviest nut was 3.17 g ('Kalinkara' S.N. 394), and the smallest kernel cavity was 0.43 mm ('Çakõldak' S.N. 229).

3rd International Cherry Symposium -- JUL 23-29, 1997 -- ULLENSVANG, NORWAY WOS: 000076163500018 In this study, four local varieties, namely 'Turkoglu', 'Abdullah', 'Hafiz Ahmet' and 'Beyaz Kiraz' grown in Amasya, Turkey, are investigated in terms of their pomology and phenology. The flowering period for all varieties studied is between 23 March to 16 April. The ripening periods are from 7 to 16 May for 'Turkoglu', from 27 May to 5 June for 'Hafiz Ahmet' and 'Abdullah', from 23 June to 1 July for 'Beyaz Kiraz'. In addition to various phenological characteristics, such as fruit weight, fruit dimension, fruit index (length/breadth), fruit stalk length, TSS (total soluble solids) and acid content, pit weight, flesh/pit ratio, leaf area, leaf dimensions, leaf index (length/breadth) petiole length, fruit firmness, fruit cracking index, fruit colour were determined for a three year study period. For 'Turkoglu','Hafiz Ahmet','Abdullah' and 'Beyaz Kiraz' varieties, the fruit weights were 2.40, 4.11, 4.14 and 4.48 g, respectively. TSS contents of them were 9.4, 13.5, 14.7 and 16.4 %, respectively; the cracking indices were 38.5, 17.3, 13.1 and 0 %, respectively; the flesh/pit ratios were 14.34, 8.95, 9.57 and 9.84, respectively. Int Soc Hort Sci, Det Kongelige Landbruksdept, Norway, Staatens Landbruksbank, Norway, Hordaland Fylkeskommune, Norway, Ullensvang Herad, Norway, Norsk Hydro ASA, Norwegian Crop Res Inst, Danish Inst Agr Sci

From the progeny obtained by open-pollination of J. H. Hale cultivar, five midle late or late ripening hybrids were selected. During 1995 and 1996 important pomological properties of those hybrids were examined. Based on results of discriminant analysis, in the case when yield was taken as the most important character, the following order of hybrids was obtained: AO 21; AO 3; AO 10; AO 14; AO 6. When fruit weight was taken as the most important character, the following order of hybrids was obtained: AO 14; AO 6; AO 10; AO 21; AO 3, and when total sugar content was taken as the most important property, hybrids were classified as follow: AO 21; AO 3; AO 10; AO 6; AO 14.

7 pags.- 3 Tabls. Journal paper derived from a original contribution of the author at IV International Symposium on Plum and Prune Genetics, Breeding and Pomology., Pollizo de Murcia' is a slow growing plum, Prunus domestica or P. insititia, of widespread use as rootstock for most stone fruits, in the region of Murcia (Spain). This stock has recently expanded to other fruit growing areas. 'Pollizo de Murcia' is a population variety, for which a selection has been carried out at the Estación Experimental de Aula Dei. A clon coming from Puebla de Soto (Murcia) and named 'Puebla de Soto AD 101' is one of the best of that selection. It displays a better behaviour in terms of lesser suckering and good compatibility with peach cultivars, among other aspects. However, its vegetative propagation aptitude by hardwood cutting is not good, as happens to occur with the other 'pollizos' included in that study. At present it is being propagated by in vitro techniques. In the present paper the morphological and phenological characteristics of 'Puebla de Soto AD 101' are described.