Evaluation of apricot varieties created and maintained at Slovak collection of genetic resources

The Slovak apricot breeding programme has been going on since 1964. In the range of this programme were registered 10 apricot varieties, 4 peaches and 2 rootstocks. The apricot varieties are ‘Vesna’, ‘Vegama’, ‘Velbora’, ‘Veharda’, ‘Velita’, ‘Barbora’, ‘Vesprima’, ‘Vestar’, ‘Vemina’ and ‘Veselka’. The most perspective varieties with resistance to PPV are ‘Veharda’ and ‘Vemina’. The condition of new fruit ideotype for fresh consumption (fresh fruit quality) meet mainly these varieties ‘Veselka’, ‘Vesna’ and ‘Vestar’. The main breeding goals were: fruit quality, size, colour of skin and flesh, flesh firmness, resistance to frost and to PPV. Currently, activities with the breeding programme are over. The registered varieties are multiplied at nurseries, planted into orchards and they were included into fruit collection of the National Programme for Conservation Genetic Resources of the Slovak Republic. During the years 2009-2012, 40 selected genotypes from fruit collection at the Gene Bank of the Slovak Republic at Piešťany were evaluated on the part of suitability for fruit growers. The fruit quality was evaluated as a complex of characteristics consisting of the size, weight, skin colour, sugar content, firmness of flesh, etc. The maturity period was from the beginning of July to the middle of August. Kech Pchar was extremely late, with ripening at the end of September. Flower biology was studied on the other collection in the past. The evaluation consisted of valuation of flower bud density, flower composition, pollen germination and other parameters. Self-incompatible varieties were ‘Aurora’, ‘Cegledi Orias’, ‘Bergarouge’, ‘Ligeti Orias’ and ‘Vesna’. This paper presents the results of vegetative and pomological characterisation of the selected apricot varieties created at the Slovak breeding programme and also other varieties included into collection of genetic resources.