Studies on the expression of morphological characters of some Romanian peach varieties

In Europe, PPV (Plum pox virus) is by far the virus with the greatest impact on the Prunus genus and the most limiting factor in peach culture from economic point of view. The sharka virus is causing big damage and losses not only for apricot crops but as well for all other Prunus species. Varieties with genetic resistance to disease are a major pursuit in amelioration programs. Identifying new genotypes with natural resistance to PPV creates new premises and possibilities for obtaining varieties that better meet current and future market requirements. In this paper the peach varieties Alexia, Alex, Flacăra and Triumf, are initially evaluated for morphological characters, followed by the most important results to be proposed in spring in the new hybridization programs. Given the character's heredetry and the way parental forms behave throughout the selection process, the final objective (obtaining superior varieties) is based on the new characters' heredetry.