Autochthonous apple varieties as donors for disease resistance

The main selection goal in apple breeding worldwide is fruit quality and disease resistance. Germplasms of 130 autochthnous apple varieties, originating from the Balkan Peninsula, are healed at Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad, Serbia. Resistance to main diseases, scab, mildew and fireblight is usually controlled by a number of minor genes and it is called horizontal non-race-specific resistance. The most resistant local varieties are Krstovaca, Bihorka and Sumatovka. Bihorka has the best general combining ability. Every cross with several leading commercial varieties resulted in advanced selection at the second stage of selection. Progenies having Sumatovka as a donor for resistance did not have sufficient level of resistance. Progenies having Krstovaca as a donor for resistance did not have sufficiently good quality and desirable tree habit.