IDENTIFICATION, COLLECTION, PRESERVATION, STUDY AND USE OF APPLE, PEAR, PLUM, CHERRY AND SOUR CHERRY GERMOPLASM

Objectives

  1. Organizing of the „ex situ” collections;ex situ”;
  2. Preservation of genotypes at the biologic potential and conservation of biodiversity;
  3. Evaluation of the agronomic traits;
  4. Permanent enrichment of the collections with species and cultivars from our country and abroad;
  5. Identification of genitors for breeding programs according to general and specific objectives;
  6. Creating and updating the database.

Achievements

a) Inventory of accessions from collections. The gene bank within this laboratory comprises: 594 apple genotypes, 196 pear genotypes, 11 quince genotypes, 440 plums, 176 sweet cherries and 144 sour cherries. This germplasm fund, a true national treasure, is recognized and appreciated internationally, most of the genotypes being registered in the European catalogs (EURISCO catalog), and the Romanian researchers are involved in the IPGRI Malus/Pyrus and Prunus.

The situation of germplasm fund from Genetics and Breeding Department

No. crt. Species Total number of accessions Number of species Number of autochthonous varieties Number of foreign varieties Number of vaieties evaluated Year of esthablishment Surface (ha)
1 Apple tree 594 5 73 521 200 2010 1,30
2 Pear tree 196 13 67 129 80 2009 0,38
3 Gutui 11 0 7 4 4 2022 0,05
4 Plum tree 440 9 172 268 200 2019
2020
2021		 1,60
5 Cherry tree 176 0 43 133 117 2013 1,54
6 Vişin 144 0 54 90 54 2010 0,65
  Total 1.561 27 416 1.145 655   5,52

b) Creating, preserving and maintaining the genetic resource:

            - establishment the fruit trees collections (apple - 594 accessions, pear - 196 accessions, quince - 11, plum - 440, sweet cherry - 176 and sour cherry - 144);
            – Enrichment of the germplasm fund with new foreign varieties (from the Republic of Belarus, Bulgaria, Latvia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Moldova, Germany and France);
            - preserving and maintaining the biological potential of species, 1,561 genotypes, which occupies the area of 5.52 ha.

c) Evaluation of accessions to the descriptors IPGRI, ROMA and UPOV (for harmonizing the data according to the methodological practices of the U.E):

            - evaluation of 655 genotypes following the useful characters of breeding programs;
            - choice of potential genitors for the breeding and preparation of recommended character lists (resistance to biotic and abiot stress, quality, productivity, self -fertility, etc.);

            - organization of exhibitions, panel test and visits in the pomological collections;
            - completing the European and national database by introducing the evaluated accessions.

Researchers

PhD. Mădălina Militaru – apple, pear and quince (madalinabutac@yahoo.com)
PhD. biol. Madalina Militaru – apple and pear (madamilitaru77@yahoo.com)
Eng. Eugenia Mareși – apple and pear (genimaresi@gmail.com)
Biolog Adelina Stan – apple and pear (adelinastan@yahoo.com)