Use of autochthonous apple (Malus Mill.) cultivars from the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding genebank in breeding

The development of new cultivars that meet the demands of changing climatic and economic conditions depends on the availability and composition of genebank collections and on the use of ecological, geographical, and genetic diversity in initial breeding material, including autochthonous cultivars. This study evaluated the contribution of autochthonous cultivars from the Bioresource Collection of the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK) to the development of modern adaptive cultivars and assessed their breeding value. More than 50 local cultivars were analyzed as potential sources of valuable agronomic and biological traits. Artificial freezing tests showed that cultivars derived from winter-hardy autochthonous parents exhibit the same level of tolerance to low mid-winter temperatures as their parental forms. Many autochthonous cultivars, as well as modern domestic cultivars developed with their participation, represent valuable material for further breeding. The following local cultivars are recommended as donors of specific traits: Krasnoe Letnee, Khoroshavka Alaya, Korobovka, Popovka, and Titovka for high winter hardiness; Grushovka Moskovskaya, Malinovka Zhyoltaya, and Korobovka for precocity and early fruit ripening; Bel Rozovaya and Renet Zolotoy Kurskiy for field resistance to apple scab; Suyslepskoe, Titovka, and Khoroshavka Alaya for high market quality and attractive fruits with tender, wine-sweet flesh; and Skryzhapel and Renet Zolotoy Kurskiy for extended consumption period. Cultivars in the VNIISPK collection were tested for DNA markers linked to the scab-resistance genes Va1 ( Rvi17 ), Vf ( Rvi6 ), and Vm ( Rvi5 ). DNA markers linked to Va1 ( Rvi17 ) were detected in the old cultivars Antonovka Obyknovennaya and Antonovka Krasnobochka, as well as in Bessemyanka Michurinskaya and in several VNIISPK cultivars that inherited this gene (Zaryanka, Patriot, Sokovinka, Orlik, and Svezhest). An allele linked to Vm ( Rvi5 ) was amplified in the descendants of local cultivars, including Zaryanka, Patriot, Sokovinka, Orlovim, Slavyanin, and Chistotel. Several other descendants (Zdorov’e, Imrus, Maslovskoe, Svezhest, and Yablochny Spas) carried an allele associated with Vf ( Rvi6 ). Among the cultivars developed at VNIISPK using local germplasm, several adaptive, scab-resistant cultivars with high market quality and harmonious fruit flavor were identified. These include summer cultivars (Avgusta, Osipovskoe, and Yablochny Spas), winter cultivars (Bolotovskoe, Vavilovskoe, Imrus, and Orlik), and late-winter cultivars (Sinap Orlovsky and Svezhest).

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