Breeding apple cultivars with multiple resistance

Summary

The long-term apple breeding programme in Dresden-Pillnitz is based on the combination of resistances to the economically important diseases scab, mildew and fire blight and a high fruit quality. The multiple resistance programme in apples began against scab and mildew and was followed by breeding against fire blight. As gene sources for scab resistance we used Malus floribunda, M. pumila, M. micromalus, M. atrosanguinea and local varieties, for mildew resistance M. zumi ‘Calocarpa’, M. robusta ‘Persicifolia’, Dülmener Rosenapfel, Remo, Rewena, Resi and Retina, and for fire blight resistance M. floribunda. Double and triple resistant progenies were obtained from crossings between the resistant varieties Remo, Rewena and Pi-AS-44,14. Other resistant varieties are screened in order to test their inheritance of double and triple resistance. Some promising multiple resistant progenies and cultivars with good fruit quality in different mature periods have been selected for consumption as dessert fruit or for processing. They are suitable as an assortment for integrated fruit production in order to reduce the fungicide sprays by 80% and to minimize the risk of fire blight infection.