Current trends and prospects of apple breeding (<i>Malus</i> Mill) in Russia: review

Abstract

In the Russian Federation, 506 varieties of apple trees are approved for use (10 included in 2023) with different periods of consumer ripeness of the fruit. The activities of breeding institutions have made it possible to improve the assortment of apple trees, while it is necessary to obtain new varieties of apple trees with a complex of adaptive traits and commercial and consumer qualities of fruits that ensure stable fruiting, productivity in unstable climatic conditions, as well as a long period of post-harvest storage of fruits; and, accordingly, determining the profitability of using these varieties in production plantings. In accordance with the increasing requirements for varieties, new breeding achievements must surpass previous analogues in a set of valuable breeding traits, which confirms the need to improve breeding programs. The key areas of apple tree selection are increasing winter hardiness, drought resistance, disease resistance, improving the biochemical composition and shelf life of the fruit, and columnar crown shape. Intensification of the selection process is necessary to reduce the time to obtain a new variety and its production development; in connection with this, marker-mediated selection is a promising direction for accelerating the selection process. The review article presents data on the work of scientific institutions where apple tree selection is carried out. The results of many years of work by leading research organizations of the Russian Federation in the field of apple breeding are covered. Data on scientific institutions, depending on their territorial location, are sorted by regions of admission of the State Register of Selection Achievements approved for use. The results of many years of work of leading research organizations, the main directions of apple breeding are covered, data on the use of modern methods for studying breeding material in research institutions are provided, and approaches to the early selection of economically valuable genotypes are presented. The analytical review is supplemented with information on ways to expand the genetic variability of hybrid offspring. The creation of varieties with a high level of adaptability, commercial and consumer characteristics of fruits will contribute to the further improvement of the apple tree assortment in the Russian Federation.