Intensification of the breeding process and acceleration of the introduction of apple cultivars into production

Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK) is the main supplier of new apple cultivars for the middle zone of Russia. 54 zoned apple cultivars of different dates of maturing have been created at the Institute and included in the State Register of breeding achievements. The reasons of a very long period from the beginning of the breeding process (hybridization) to the wide introduction of a cultivar into broad production are considered in this pa-per. Examples of acceleration and intensification of the breeding process are given. If in 1950s at VNIISPK it took 39-49 years (43, on the average) from the hybridization to transfer a cultivar to the State Register, then in 1980s-1990s it took just 18-23 years (21, on the average). The techniques and methods of reducing this period are given in this paper. Often not less period passes from the inclusion of a cultivar in the State Register (zoning) before introduction of a cultivar in wide production. To reduce this period, it is proposed in the original institution to lay plots of small production cultivar testing of 20-30 trees in each of the 3 repetitions (60-90 trees) for each new cultivar and the control cultivar simultaneously with the transfer of a cultivar to the State Register.