Compatibility Studies in Exotic and Indigenous Almond Varieties/Selections under Temperate Conditions of Kashmir Valley

Almond is a self–incompatible plant and incompatibility are of the gametophytic type requiring pollen transfer between trees of different cultivars for fruit set. The present investigation was carried out for two consecutive years to evaluate cross-compatibility among selected varieties (three exotic) and selections (six indigenous) of a given segment of almond germplasm. Effective bloom period in the genotypes ranged between 8th March to 18th March and 7th March to 19th March in Mukhdoom, Shalimar, KD-03, KD-05, KD-06 and 23rd March to 31st March and 24th March to 2nd April in Pranyaj, Merced, Primorskij and Waris. Fruit set varied with each cross combination, initial fruit-set ranged from 5.55 per cent in Shalimar x KD-03 to 77.77 per cent in Waris x Shalimar in the first year and varied from 11.11 per cent in Merced x Shalimar to 85.71 per cent in Waris x KD-06 in second year. The highest final fruit set of 58.00 per cent was obtained in Merced x KD-05 as compared to lowest fruit set of 1.01 per cent recorded in Shalimar x KD-03 in the first year whereas the final fruit set ranged between 3.23 per cent to 66.00 per cent in Merced x Shalimar and Waris x KD-06 during the second year. Fruit set under open pollination varied from 9.00 to 60.00 per cent among different varieties/selections. No fruit set was observed in any genotype following selfing by bagging. Overall it is observed that the early blooming selections viz. Shalimar, KD-03, KD-05 and KD-06 exhibits maximum compatibility with most of the exotic and indigenous varieties/selections and obtained higher fruit set.