Properties of Some Indigenous Apple Genotypes Grown in Region of Serbia

Abstract

The long-term study of phenological and pomological properties of autochthonous apple genotypes and investigation of their resistance to major causal agents of diseases at Fruit Research Institute-Cacak have resulted in the selection of seven genotypes presented in this paper. Two of them -'Budimka' and 'Kozara' have high-quality fruits and good resistance to Venturia inaequalis (Cooke) Wint., whereas fruits of 'Budimka' have long storage life. All of the assessed indigenous cultivars have shown pronounced resistance to fire blight. In addition, the allelic constitutions of genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis (ACS1 and ACO1) have been determined for cultivars with good storage capability and quality fruits. Apple breeding programmes need a new germplasm to improve current cultivars which are in demand by both market and industry. Therefore, in this context, apple genetic resources in the region of Serbia play an important role.