The actualities of apple breeding in Latvia

Abstract For successful development of fruit production in Latvia it is necessary to obtain new cultivars suitable for commercial growing and able to compete with imported fruits. The aim of the breeding program at Institute of Horticulture is to combine the following: (1) high fruit quality, long storage, improved flesh firmness and biochemical content, especially Brix, polyphenols; (2) climate adapted tree with high and regular yields, easy for training, desirably with self-thinning fruits; (3) complex resistance or tolerance to main apple diseases – scab, mildew and others. The resistance has to be durable, so different resistance sources are combined in crosses, including genes Rvi6 and Rvi5. Sources of fire blight resistance are also used, as this disease now arrives in Latvia. Recently more attention is paid to late flowering with some resistance to spring frosts, as this trait is becoming increasingly important in Latvia with climate change. For improved quality, best cultivars grown worldwide are included, like ‘Bohemia’, ‘Honeycrisp’. Late maturing is preferred, but with harvest not too late for Latvia. In 2024 six variety candidates were applied for registration: ‘Inara’ ( ‘ Alesya‘ x ‘Honeycrisp’), ‘Raivo’ (‘Bogatyr’ x ‘Fantazja’), ‘Sarmīte’ (Co-op 7 x AMD-12-15-15) for commercial growing and ‘Katrīnīte’ Rvi6 (BM 41497 x ‘Latkrimson’) for home gardens; ornamental apples ‘Antonija’ and ‘Dūdars’ (both ‘Top Millionaire’ x D-1-94-2). Promising variety candidates for registration are H-15-05-20 ‘Ilze’ (‘Eksotika’ x ‘Bohemia’), H-3-07-164 ’Vizma’ (‘Ligita’ x ‘Honeycrisp’), cider apple P 53-1 ‘Pūres Sidra’ (‘Redcroft’ o.p.), ornamental crab S1-8 ‘Austris’ (‘Geneva crab’ o.p.).