Evaluation of French apricot cultivars in the region of Belgrade

Abstract

The evaluation of 10 introduced apricot cultivars of French origin was carried out in the region of Belgrade over a period of four years (2009-2012). Control cultivar for comparison was ‘Hungarian Best’. Average time of flowering was late March and early April, while average time of maturing ranged from June, 26 (‘Sylred’) to July, 15 (‘Helena du Roussillon’), or from 7 days before to 12 days after the ‘Hungarian Best’. Compared with the control cultivar, significantly higher yield was achieved in five cultivars: ‘Sylred’, ‘Bergeron’, ‘Pinkcot’, ‘Silvercot’, and ‘Bergarouge’, while significantly higher fruit weight was found in four cultivars: ‘Silvercot’, ‘Sylred’, ‘Polonais’, and ‘Bergeron’. Among studied cultivars, the best results were shown by ‘Sylred’, ‘Silvercot’ and ‘Pinkcot’, which can be recommended for growing in this region, predominantly for fresh consumption. ‘Bergeron’ and ‘Bergarouge’ can also be recommended as cultivars of combined traits, both for fresh consumption and processing.