Fruit growing
and viticulture of South Russia

Annotation

The article presents the results of studying the keeping quality of varieties and breeding forms of apple trees of autumn and winter maturation periods, natural weight loss during storage in an unregulated gas environment in the conditions of the foothill zone of the Crimea. Breeders and fruit growers are faced with the task of breeding and introducing into production new varieties with high adaptability to growing and storage conditions suitable for modern intensive plantings in connection with the government's import substitution policy. Rational selection of genotypes for storage is one of the most effective ways to reduce losses during storage. The study of keeping quality was carried out in an unregulated gas environment at a temperature of +2 º C, and a relative humidity of 85-90 %. The determination of diseases during the storage period was carried out visually, according to the determinant of plant diseases. The keeping quality is genotypically determined, and different storage modes cannot change the general orientation of the fruit ripening process, but affect the intensity of its passage. It is necessary to take into account varietal (individual) reaction to a certain temperature regime when selecting the assortment of apple varieties to be laid for long-term storage. Keeping quality is due to genetic characteristics, but it is more influenced by the conditions of the growing season, the timing of removal, post-harvest processing of fruits, the stability of the storage regime. Genotypes that are able to maintain high commercial and consumer qualities of fruits are highlighted among the presented variety samples. The use of the selected genotypes as initial forms in obtaining new varieties will allow to create a new generation of adaptive varieties suitable for growing conditions in the south of Russia and increased storage potential in an unregulated gas environment.