Some Features of Armenian Apricots (Armeniaca vulgaris Lam.) and Improvement of Its Assortment

摘要

Armenian apricot plantations are made up mainly of cultivars of national selection. Despite the availability of high-quality local cultivars of national selection, these cultivars are not free from defects. Today it is especially necessary to spread new apricot cultivars which are distinguished by late periods of blossoming, have ability of self-pollination, ripen in different periods, are resistant to unfavorable biotic and abiotic conditions of the environment, are high-yielding and meet the marketdemands.In order to breed cultivars of apricot for genetic improvement, we carried out intra- and inter-cultivar hybridization of 20 cultivar combinations ('Yerevani' -'Ghevond', 'Yerevani' - 'Sateni', 'Yerevani' - 'Nakhichevan red', 'Sateni' -'VoskP, 'Sateni' -'Yerevani', 'Sateni' - 'Amban', 'Amban' - 'Yerevani', 'Amban' -'Ghevondi', etc.) with pollination of around 6500 blossoms. As a result 550 hybrids were obtained.Based on a comprehensive study of hybrids found, 12 seedlings of different usage were selected to the elite, with high yield and quality, combining frost and disease resistance separately and in combination, suitable for industrial cultivation, as well as donors for practical breeding.In 2009 especially valuable elite selections - 'Vagharshak', 'Spitak Khoshoraptugh' and '1-2-15 (Chartari)' - were passed to the State cultivar testing as new high-yielding, large-fruited, transportable, attractive in appearance and with tendency to self-pollination cultivars.