Results obtained in breeding of bitter cherry assortment at fruit growing research station Iaşi - Romania

Abstract

The paper proposes the improvement of the current bitter cherry assortment with new creations made at Iaşi, adapted to the specific conditions from the NE area of Romania. For the improvement of the bitter cherry assortment with new, productive, disease resistant cultivars with fruits of good quality, resistant to cracking with different maturation stages, in 1981 at Fruit Growing Research Station (F.G.R.S.) Iaşi - Romania has begun an action of selection and promoting of some valuable genotypes of bitter cherry (existent in the spontaneous flora or in plantations from the Iaşi county), which were being planted with cultivars and other genotypes from all around the country. Following the positive and gradual selection there were selected three biotypes of bitter cherry from which two of them have been approved as new cultivars in 1994, with the names „Amar Maxut”, respectively, „Amar Galata” and the biotype „Amar R5.P10” has been registered in 2013 at the State Institute for Variety Testing and Registration Bucharest to be approved as a new cultivar. All three bitter cherry genotypes correspond to the objectives of the main assortment breeding. They have a high productivity because the natural fertility index registered values between 36.5-63.7%, the trees have a reduced vigour, they present a good resistance to frost (1-9% affected buds) and to diseases (values of I% anthracnose, 1.1- 2.8%). The fruits are high quality and the maturation stages are at the extremities of the cherries maturation season.