Genetic improvement of apples at the faculty of agriculture - Novi Sad

Abstract

The project on the genetic improvement of apples at the Faculty of Agriculture, Novi Sad, started in 1987 and is covering many different aspects of the conventional apple breeding. Selection for fruit quality, yield, and storage potential resulted in a selection in a variety trial. The fruit has outstanding appearance thanks to its red overcolour, beautiful conical shape, excellent storage ability, and long shelf life, although its picking time is the end of August. The activities to breed columnar apple varieties have been aimed at producing apple cultivars suitable for very intensive orchards and amateur gardens as easily-managed apple tree varieties of different time of picking, bearing fruits of yellow and green ground colour with no overcolour and of yellow ground colour with red overcolour. In 2007, six new apple varieties were introduced: 'Djerdan' (yellow fruit), 'Smaragd', and 'Zeleni Dragulj' (green fruits), 'Vesna', 'Rumeno Vreteno', and 'Kraljica Èardaša' (red over-coloured). A great deal of attention has been paid to breeding for resistance against diseases and pests. The main donors of resistance were autochthonous apple varieties like 'Krstovaèa', 'Šumatovka', and 'Bihorka'. Two red overcoloured selections with the late picking time were submitted to variety trials. Mutations affecting the appearance of the fruit were recognized on 'Elstar', resulting in two selections in a variety trial, and 'Idared', resulting in one selection in a variety trial. The mutation type most often found was striped and bright-red overcolour.