SOME PROGRESS IN BREEDING COTONEASTER FOR RESISTANCE TO FIREBLIGHT, ERWINIA AMYLOVORA (BURR.) WINSLOW ET AL

Since the first report about the examinations of several species, varieties and oecotypes in an experimental field near Husum/West Germany breeding for resistance to fireblight in the genus Cotoneaster has made some progress.

Infectiontests are no longer made in the field mentioned above. The testplants are now cultivated in containers in a greenhouse at Ahrensburg. They are infected at Kiel-Kitzeberg. This procedure proved to be more suitable for breeding work.

Progenies from crossings with C. dammeri var. radicans differed significantly in susceptibility to Erwinia amylovora. So also did two offsprings from resistant plants of C. dammeri var. radicans. Above all a progeny from the crossing C. dammeri var. radicans x C. lucidus was promising for further breeding work.