Apricot breeding at the Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice [Czech Republic]

Krška, Boris . Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology; Vachůn, Zdeněk . Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology; Nečas, Tomáš . Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology; Ondrášek, Ivo . Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology

Apricot breeding at the Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice [Czech Republic]

2013

Krška, Boris (Mendel University in Brno, Lednice (Czech Republic). Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology) | Vachůn, Zdeněk (Mendel University in Brno, Lednice (Czech Republic). Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology) | Nečas, Tomáš (Mendel University in Brno, Lednice (Czech Republic). Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology) | Ondrášek, Ivo (Mendel University in Brno, Lednice (Czech Republic). Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Pomology)

The aim of the apricot breeding programme in the Horticultural Faculty in Lednice developed since 1981 was to obtain new adaptable cultivars, which combine most of the valuable biological traits. Standard breeding techniques, such as crossing by emasculation and hand pollination, self-pollination and open pollination, were employed. A total of 1.154 crossings were produced from more than 110 different parents. So far more than 20.000 seedlings have been obtained, of which about 13.000 have already been evaluated. The most interesting selections were grafted and planted in trial orchards (we now have more than 650 elite genotypes). Ten of these have already been registered, and furthers promising new hybrids have been submitted for registration and law right protection (LE-3276 - Betinka, LE- 2927- Candela, LE -2926 – Sophie and LE-3241- Adriana). The basic prerequisite for the initiation of breeding program was a large collection of genetic resources, established and gradually supplemented since the 70s of last century. At the present time, we preserve and manage more than 300 accessions of apricot trees. In the frame of the description work of the genetic resources and in order to be used in breeding, a collection of apricots has been evaluated so that we selected the genotypes and characters relating to an increased level of adaptation to the environment.

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