ISHS Acta Horticulturae 484: Eucarpia Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics
INHERITANCE STUDIES WITH COLUMNAR TYPE TREES |
| Authors: | B. Meulenbroek, J. Verhaegh, J. Janse |
| Abstract:
The progenies of four crosses, ‘Elise’ x ‘McIntosh Wijcik’, ‘Golden Delicious’ x ‘McIntosh Wijcik’, ‘Elise’ x SA163-17 and ‘Golden Delicious’ x SA163-17, were raised both in a nursery for 2 years and in a greenhouse for 1 or 2 years. The results showed that, especially for progenies originating from the columnar cultivar ‘McIntosh Wijcik’, there was a significant deficiency of columnar type trees. Nevertheless, it was concluded that the columnar growth habit is controlled by one dominant gene. It was also concluded that it is likely that a modifying gene or genes are involved. Selection for columnar growth habit is reliable at the end of the second growing season; however, it is possible to select as early as 2 to 3 weeks after germination, although a fair number of mis-classified plants occur then. Columnar type trees were not more precocious than normal type trees, whether raised in the nursery or in the greenhouse for 1 or 2 years. Indeed, in the nursery the juvenile period of normal trees was significantly shorter than that of columnar trees. | |
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