EVALUATION OF SELF-FERTILITY IN BLACK CURRANT CULTIVARS IN THE NORTHWEST OF RUSSIA

Abstract

Background. High yield is one of the main requirements for modern black currant cultivars. It depends on many factors, but is always linked to self-fertility. Highly selffertile cultivars are of particular importance in areas with unfavorable weather conditions during flowering, because they are able to provide high yields even in single-cultivar plantings. In this regard, it is very important to study selffertility of cultivars in order to identify those with the highest level of this character for use in breeding and large-scale cultivation.Materials and methods. The study of selffertility was carried out at Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR in 2014–2017. Fifty-seven black currant cultivars of different genetic and ecogeographic origin were the material of the research. The degree of self-fertility was measured by conventional techniques in 3 variants of pollination: 1) natural self-pollination; 2) artificial self-pollination; and 3) free pollination. Statistical data processing was performed using Microsoft Excel and the guidelines by B. A. Dospekhov.Results and conclusions. Highly self-fertile cultivars were identified, which may be recommended for breeders as sources of this trait: ‘Navlya’ (k-42228), ‘Dobrynya’ (k-42121), ‘Golubichka’ (k-32624), ‘Golosievsky velikan’ (k-44176), ‘Valentina’ (k-15631A), ‘Kozatskaya’ (k-44187), ‘Arapka’ (к-44175), ‘Kanakhama’ (k-44197) and ‘Fat’ (k-42509). High yield in the Northwest of Russia can be secured by cultivars that combine high self-fertility with large fruit size: ‘Valentina’ (k-15631A), ‘Vernisazh’ (k-43126), ‘Garmoniya’ (k-40677), ‘Dobrynya’ (k-42121), ‘Desertnaya Ogoltsovoy’(k-45670), ‘Joninai’ (k-43124), ‘Kanakhama’ (k-44197), ‘Karri (k-44172), ‘Mila’ (k-40673), ‘Sevchanka’(k-45551), ‘Sofievskaya’(k-43131), ‘Talisman’ (k-44183), ‘Yubileinaya Kopanya’ (k-44189), ‘Shalunya’(k-41988), and accession 2780-20-33 (k-15575A). It is shown that free pollination and artificial self-pollinationprovide a positive impact on the fruit setting level, fruit weight and seed productivity. Natural autogamy, on the contrary, tends to decrease the weight of berries and the number of seeds in them.