New stress-resistant Krymsk rootstocks for stone fruits

10 Jun 2024
2651

Cherry Times offers its readers the reports on cherry rootstocks presented at the Macfrut 2024 International Rootstock Symposium.

The Krymsk Experimental Breeding Station has a long history of breeding interspecific rootstocks for stone fruit. The 6000 Prunus accessions in their collection are being used for combining useful traits of stress and disease resistances into new interspecific rootstock genotypes suitable as rootstocks for multiple stone fruit species.

For testing and propagation in Europe, the United States and several other countries outside Russia, Varieties International has obtained a license and has imported several promising rootstocks suitable for almond, apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach and plum.

The selection of these interspecific rootstocks was made on basis of the induced tree vigor and tolerance to various environmental stresses like drought, flooding, frost and the pH and salt content of the soil.  At present seven Krymsk rootstocks have been patented and have been commercially released.

Image 1: Frank Maas.

Since 2017 about 20 new selections have been imported into Europe and the USA. After release from quarantine these rootstocks have been propagated and test trees have been grown. In Europe the first test trees of plum varieties ‘Jubilieum’ and ‘Opal’ and sweet cherry varieties ‘Kordia’ and ‘Regina’ were planted in 2023, using rootstock genotypes with a vigor between very dwarfing to semi-dwarfing. 

After the first growing season in the differences in tree vigor are already becoming visible. However, it will take several more years to evaluate how the fruit production and growth the trees will develop and to find out which of these rootstocks will be a better choice for the fruit grower than the ones currently used.

Download the full report here

Download the presentation here

Frank Maas
Varieties International/Nedworc Foundation
frank.maas.nl@gmail.com


Cherry Times - All rights reserved

What to read next

Turkish exporter Alanar focuses marketing on own production

Markets

14 Mar 2025

The decision was motivated by the desire to have more control over product quality and to reduce financial risks. "We will no longer buy fruit as in the past," said Gökyigit.

Riveridge Land invests in covers and protective nets to face the climate challenge

Covers

06 Jun 2024

Justin Finkler, owner of Riveridge Land Co. in Michigan, believes Riveridge is the only farm in Michigan to cover cherries: the new plantings, whose ultimate goal is high density, will all be designed with V- and UFO trellis systems.

In evidenza

Salinity stress in Gisela 5 rootstock: physiological and biochemical responses reveal the limits of tolerance

Rootstocks

25 Jun 2026

The study on Gisela 5 rootstock examines how salinity affects cherry growth, chlorophyll, ion balance and antioxidant defenses, highlighting sodium buildup, biomass loss and the rootstock’s limited tolerance to salt stress under in vitro conditions, after four weeks.

"We can’t store them": 2,000 French producers urge consumers to eat the cherries

Consumption

25 Jun 2026

France expects more than 30,000 tonnes of cherries this year, around one third above average. Growers are urging consumers to buy more, while hand picking, short shelf life, pest pressure and rising orchard costs keep retail prices between €5 and €8 per kilo in June.

Tag Popolari