EVALUATION OF APRICOT GENOTYPES MAINTAINED IN THE RIPF COLLECTION

Apricot genotypes were evaluated in a field collection established in 1997 at the Dąbrowice Experimental Orchard, near Skierniewice. Each genotype is represented by four trees. Considerable differences in time and intensity of blooming, ripening period and other characters were observed in 2000-2004. The time of full blooming of the studied genotypes lasted from 3 to 14 April in 2002 and only from 27 to 29 April in 2003. The most abundant flowering was shown by ‘A 4’ and ‘Byelorussian apricot’. The ripening period started from 21 June and lasted until 17 August in 2000 and lasted from 15 July to 13 September in 2004. Cultivars ‘Hungarian Early’, ‘Byelorussian apricot’ and ‘Olimp’ and clones ‘No 688’ and ‘A 4’ (used for seed production) were the most productive in the years of investigation. The biggest fruits were produced by ‘Goldrich’, ‘Hungarian C 235’ and ‘Velkopavlovicka No 6’.