Nutmeg pears in the Middle Volga region

The aim of the study was to breed highly adaptive pear varieties that combine high ripeness, nutmeg flavor, as well as long-term fruit keeping during storage. In the Research Institute of Horticulture and Medicinal Plants «Zhigulevskie Sady», work on breeding pear varieties with nutmeg flavor was started by S. P. Kedrin in 1934 with the use of the Williams summer variety in breeding work, and later in 1985, this breeding work with the use of qualitative characteristics of the Williams red variety as a donor the work was continued by A. A. Kuznetsov in order to obtain varieties of pears with a nutmeg flavor. In addition to obtaining varieties with the desired taste qualities, the breeding work of the Institute is aimed at obtaining varieties with high adoptive qualities for use as a garden crop in the conditions of the Middle Volga region. In 2021, the Yakhontovaya variety (Volozhka x Williams red) bred at the institute is included in the State Register for the 7th region. The article also provides a brief description of 4 promising varieties of pears with nutmeg flavor well adapted to local conditions. Three varieties: Dar Zhiguley, Muskatka, Yakhontovaya were obtained as a result of distant crosses with the participation of the Ussuri pear (P. ussuriensis M.), and the fourth variety Volshebnitsa is an intervarietal hybrid. All of them belong to the group of early-fruiting varieties. A long period of fruit consumption (1.5-2 months) was observed in Muskatka and Dar Zhiguley varieties. The Yakhontovaya variety has high commodity and consumer qualities. The varieties have a complex of biologically and economically valuable traits and can be used in breeding. The creation of pear varieties with high-quality fruits capable of competing with foreign ones seems to be quite a possible task for breeders.