Comparative evaluation of local selection varieties of sweet cherry by adaptive potential to conditions of foothill Dagestan

By the calculation methods of various parameters of adaptive properties, the authors assessed the adaptation potential of 12 sweet cherry varieties selected at the Dagestan Breeding Experimental Station of Fruit Crops (DBESFC) and cultivated in the conditions of foothill Dagestan. The average yield of the study sweet cherry varieties changed from 6.6 (Pozdnyaya Lermontova) to 9.8 (Dagestanka) t/ha for 2019–2025. The varieties largely varied by the indicators of adaptive properties. The coefficients of plasticity (bi) ranged within 0.66...1.45, ecological stability (ϭd2) – 0.15...3.01, adaptability (AC) – 78.3...118.9 %, and variation (Cv) – 18.5...32.8 %. The values of homeostaticity (Hom), stress resistance (Ymin– Ymax), yield range (d) and phenotypic stability factor (SF) varied within 0.28...0.52; -3.8...-8.7; 0.44...0.65 and 1.8...2.9, respectively. The Dagestanka (bi=1.15), Dagestanskaya rannyaya (bi=1.15), and Zhemchuzhnaya (bi=1.45) varieties were characterised by a high ecological plasticity (bi>1) among the studied samples. Best ecologically stable were Dagestanskaya rannyaya (ϭd2=0.15), Dagestanka (ϭd2=0.19), Buynakskaya krasnaya (ϭd2=0.24), and Maral (ϭd2=0.31). The maximum homeostaticity to environmental conditions was shown by the varieties Maral, Dagestanka, Buynakskaya krasnaya and Elitnaya forma 129/1. Having applied different methods for assessing the adaption potential of sweet cherry varieties, the authors identified four varieties with the significant adaption potential for the agroecological conditions of Dagestan. These are Maral, Buynakskaya krasnaya, Dagestanka, and Elitnaya forma 129/1. Their introduction can increase the profitability of sweet cherry production and the efficiency of breeding programs.