Evaluation of several dessert cultivars of plum, new under climatic conditions of Poland

Abstract

An experiment was established in the spring of 2006 in the Experimental Orchard in Dąbrowice (central Poland). The plum cultivars under assessment included: 'Avalon', 'Edda', 'Excalibur', 'Jubileum', 'Mallard' and 'Reeves'. Trees of the cv. 'Victoria' were the control combination. On the basis of the eight-year study it was found that the most vigorously growing were trees of the cultivar 'Excalibur'. The most susceptible to frost damage and infection by Chondrostereum purpureum (silver leaf) were trees of the cultivars 'Edda' and 'Excalibur'. In addition, the cv. 'Excalibur' was characterized by high susceptibility to the Plum pox virus (sharka). The highest cumulative fruit yield was shown by the cultivar 'Jubileum'. The worst fruiting were trees of the cultivar 'Mallard'. Fruits of the cv. 'Excalibur' had the highest weight. The smallest were fruits of the cv. 'Edda' characterized by early ripening time. The highest amounts of soluble solids were contained in fruits of the cultivar 'Avalon'. The cvs 'Edda', 'Reeves' and 'Avalon' proved suitable for cultivation in Polish climatic conditions.

Keywords

• tree health status
• growth
• yield
• fruit quality
• soluble solids