REPLENISHMENT OF THE RUSSIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF FRUIT CROP BREEDING APPLE GENETIC COLLECTION

Abstract

A brief description of genetic collection of apple in the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK) is given in this article. The collection is annually saved and replenished with the introduced apple varieties from various breeding institutions of Russia, CIS, Europe, America and Australia as well as varieties and hybrids of VNIISPK breeding. At the Institute in 01.01.2019, the apple gene pool consisted of 830 accessions and 350 selected seedlings for further study and selection of new source material for breeding. In the genetic collection of the Institute there are sources and donors for apple breeding for columnar habit, winter hardiness, precocity and high productivity, long shelf life of fruit, high resistance and immunity to scab as well as donors of diploid gametes for breeding on a polyploidy level, sources and donors of high content of sugars, titrate acids and biologically active substances (ascorbic acid and P-active substances). Creation, preservation, study and replenishment of the gene pool are a priority and actual direction of research.