The development of triploid apple cultivars is a priority in breeding

Great attention is paid to preliminary breeding (prebreeding) when developing triploid apple cultivars. Brief characteristics of diploid gamete donors are given. It should be noted that sometimes donors of diploid gametes with necessary important traits not only have to be selected from among existing tetraploid cultivars, but also developed by a breeding way, especially in the case when in nature there are no cultivars and genotypes (donors of diploid gametes) with given traits. The authors of the paper developed form 30-47-88 (Liberty×13-6-106) by a breeding way. 30-47-88 is a complex donor of diploid gametes and scab immunity (Vf ) at once. During 1970–2015, the following work was done in apple breeding using polyploidy: 455 crossing combinations were performed; 660000 flowers were artificially pollinated; 124700 hybrid seeds were obtained and 47900 one-year-old seedlings were grown, from which after multiple rejections 13200 seedlings were planted in breeding orchards. For the first time in Russia ten apple cultivars (Avgusta, Aleksandr Boiko, Bezhin Lug, Vavilovskoye, Dariona, Maslovskoye, Orlovsky Partizan, Osipovskoye, Patriot and Yablochny Spas) have been developed from intervalence crossings and regionalized. It has been stated that apple cultivars developed at the VNIISPK are characterized, as a rule, by high productivity, better fruit marketability, greater resistance to scab and higher autogamy. Apple cultivars combining triploidy and scab immunity have been developed. Promising breeding is being performed for apple cultivars combining triploidy, scab immunity and columnar habit (Co). Brief characteristics of triploid and scab immune cultivars Vavilovskoye and Yablochny Spas developed from the intervalence crossings as well as three triploid cultivars obtained from crossings of diploid cultivars are given. It is noted that triploid apple cultivars developed at the VNIISPK are inferior to none of foreign cultivars in a complex of commercial traits and they significantly excel foreign cultivars in adaptability. Our apple cultivars may contribute to import substitution of fruit production in the country.

apple, breeding, cultivars, polyploidy, scab immunity, import substitution

1. Bavtuto G.A. Novye metody v selektsii plodovo-yagodnykh kultur [New methods in fruit and berry breeding]. Minsk, Vysshaya Shkola Publ., 1977. (in Russian)

2. Dermen H. Tetraploid and adventitious shoots from a diant sport McIntosh apple. J. Hered. 1951;42:144-149.

3. Dutova L.I. Tsitologicheskaya i anatomo-morfologicheskaya kharakteristika sortov yabloni raznogo urovnya ploidnosti [Cytological, anatomical and morphological characteristics of apple cultivars with different ploidy levels]. Selektsiya yabloni na uluchshenie kachestva plodov [Apple breeding for fruit quality improvement]. Orel, 1985;202-206. (in Russian)

4. Einset J. Apple breeding enters a new era. J. Einset. Fm. Res. N.Y. 1947;13(2):5.

5. Ermakov A.I. (Ed.). Metody biokhimicheskogo issledovaniya rasteniy [Methods of biochemical study of plants]. Leningrad, Agropromizdat Publ., 1987. (in Russian)

6. Gavrishev N.N., Anan’in N.V. Nizkoroslye sady dlia zdorovia cheloveka [Low-growing orchards for human health]. Volgograd, 2009. (in Russian)

7. Kaptar’ S.G. A faster propionic–lacmoid method of the preparation and staining of temporary mounts for counting chromosomes in plants. Tsitologiya i genetika = Cytology and Genetics. 1967;1(4):8790. (in Russian)

8. Kompleksnaya programma po selektsii semechkovykh kul’tur v Rossii na 2001–2020 gg. [The integrated program on pip crop breeding in Russia for 2001–2020]. Postanovlenie mezhdunar. nauch.metod. konf. ˮOsnovnye napravleniya i metody selektsii semechkovykh kul’turˮ [The resolution of the International Scientific and Methodical Conference “Principal trends and methods of pip crop breeding”]. Orel: VNIISPK Publ., 2003. (in Russian)

9. Liznev V.N. Polyploidy in apple breeding. Plodoovoshnoye Khozyaistvo = Horticulture. 1985;11:21-23. (in Russian)

10. Pausheva Z.P. Praktikum po tsitologii rasteniy [Tutorial on plant cytology]. Moscow, Kolos Publ., 1980. (in Russian)

11. Ponomarenko V.V. Poliploidiya vidov roda Malus Mill. [Polyploidy of Malus Mill. species]. Selektsiya yabloni na uluchshenie kachestva plodov [Apple breeding for fruit quality improvement]. Orel, 1985;163-168.

12. Sedov E.N. (Ed.). Programma i metodika selektsii plodovykh, yagodnykh i orekhoplodnykh kul’tur [Program and methods of fruit, berry, and nut breeding]. Orel, VNIISPK Publ., 1995. (in Russian)

13. Sedov E.N., Ogoltzova T.P. (Eds.). Programma i metodika sortoizucheniya plodovykh, yagodnykh i orekhoplodnykh kul’tur [Program and methods of fruit, berry and nut variety investigation]. Orel, VNIISPK Publ., 1999. (in Russian)

14. Sedov E.N., Sedysheva G.A., Makarkina M.A., Levgerova N.S., Serov Z.M., Korneeva S.A., Gorbacheva N.G., Salina E.S., Yanchuk T.V., Pikunova A.V., Ozherel’eva Z.E. Innovatsii v izmenenii genoma yabloni [Innovations in apple genome modification]. Novye perspektivy v selektsii [New prospects in breeding]. Orel: VNIISPK Publ., 2015. (in Russian)

15. Sedov E.N., Sedysheva G.A., Serova Z.M., Gorbacheva N.G., Melnik S.A. Breeding assessment of heteroploid crosses in the development of triploid apple varieties. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genetiki i Selektsii = Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding. 2013;17(3):499508. (in Russian)

16. Sedov E.N., Sedysheva G.A., Serova Z.M. Selektsiya yabloni na poliploidnom urovne [Apple breeding at the ploidy level]. Orel, VNIISPK Publ., 2008. (in Russian)

17. Topilskaya L.A. Study of somatic and meiotic currant chromosomes on acetohematoxylin slides. Byul. TzGL im. I.V. Michurina = Bulletin of the Michurin Central Genetic Laboratory. 1975;22:58-61. (in Russian)

18. Tuz A.S., Lozitskiy A.Ya. Polyploid apple and pear cultivars. Genetika = Genetics (Moscow). 1970;VI(9):41-50. (in Russian)