Comparative assessment of quince cultivars (<i>Cydonia oblonga</i> Mill.) by the main morphological and economic biological characteristics
Aim. A comparative assessment of the long-known and new cultivars by the main morphological, biological and economically valuable characteristics, the study of the range of their variation. Methods. The objects of research were 200 cultivars and forms of various ecological and geographical origin that make up the gene pool collection of quince of the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens and located in the Crimean steppe zone. The observations were carried out according to generally accepted programs and methods of cultivar research and selection of fruit, berry and nut-bearing crops. Results. Assessment of quince by the strength of tree growth made it possible to distinguish weak-growing cultivars with a compact crown - ‘Dachnaya’, ‘Konservnaya Pozdnyaya’, ‘Konservnaya Rannyaya’, ‘Limonnaya’, ‘Shchedraya’. High-yielding cultivars ‘Zolotistaya Moldavskaya’, ‘Izobil'naya Krymskaya’, ‘Konservnaya Rannyaya’, ‘Kubanskaya’, ‘Novorichnaya’, ‘Oktyabrina’, ‘Osenniy Souvenir’ were identified. The gene pool was evaluated by the shape and size of the fruit, cultivars of rounded shape with a smooth surface are noted: ‘Oktyabrina’, ‘Mir’, ‘Osenniy Souvenir’, ‘Yubileynaya Moldavskaya’, ‘Yuzhanka’. It has been established that the flowering periods of quince cultivars differ slightly, the difference in ripening between early and late cultivars is about 30 days. In terms of resistance to adverse environmental factors, a wide variation between cultivars is noted. Conclusions. As a result of the study of cultivars and forms of quince by a complex of morphological, biological and economic parameters, a significant variety was revealed by these signs. Cultivars s with extreme positive values are of interest. Most of the selected genotypes have not one, but several desirable qualities, which allows to find the right combination for successful breeding work. Cultivars with high environmental sustainability are of considerable interest for industrial gardening and personal subsidiary plots of the southern zone of Russia.