A SURVEY OF SELF-ROOTED OLD PLUM TYPES IN NORWAY

Abstract

A large diversity of plums from the species Prunus insititia L. and Prunus domestica L. is present in semi-wild growing stands in Norway, but the species are not regarded as autochtonous in Norway. However these species have been present in the country for centuries and have been spread at least up to 64 degrees North. The climatical conditions in the districts where plums are present are highly different, and over several generations one might expect response to natural selection in the borderline of the species adaptational limit. These old plum types are regarded as a part of the genetical plant heritage in Norway, and the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre supported projects to map the old self-rooted types in 2005 and 2007. More than 50 different sources from South to North were reported, and nearly 50 genotypes will be established for further study. Most of the types reported were yellow or blue, but red types are also represented, and the majority of the found types are probably Prunus insititia.