Selection of Crabapple Pollinizers for ‘Fuji’ and ‘Tsugaru’ Apple

Abstract

Crabapple cultivars and Malusspecies were examined as pollinizers for two major apple cultivars in Japan: ‘Fuji’ and ‘Tsugaru’. Data on flowering dates, flowering intensity, and cross-compatibility were collected on 19 crabapple cultivars over several years. The following cultivars were selected as potential pollinizers for ‘Fuji’ and ‘Tsugaru’: M. Baccata79091 and ‘Sentinel’ for early bloom; M.× atrosanguinea20004522, ‘Red Bud’, and ‘Snowdrift’ for mid-bloom. All cultivars selected had white flowers with single petals. M. baccata79091 and ‘Sentinel’ bloomed about 2 to 3 days earlier than ‘Fuji’ and ‘Tsugaru’. Bloom time of terminal buds of M.× atrosanguinea20004522, ‘Red Bud’, and ‘Snowdrift’ was similar to ‘Fuji’ and ‘Tsugaru’. All selected crabapple cultivars had high bloom density. The percentage of fruit set for all cross combinations between crabapples and commercial cultivars was high. ‘Sentinel’ coincided with the bloom period of ‘Fuji’ and ‘Tsugaru’. However, ‘Sentinel’ tended produce fewer seeds per fruit in cross combination with ‘Fuji’. The other crabapples that we selected did not overlap with the entire bloom period of ‘Fuji’ and ‘Tsugaru’. Therefore, both an early-blooming pollinizer and a mid-blooming pollinizer should be planted in the sameorchards.