The effects of the parents’ genotype on susceptibility to leaf curl (Taphrina deformans (Berk.) Tul) of vineyard peach hybrid seedlings

Leaf curl is one of the peach diseases with the most economically important impact, because very strong infection can cause total defoliation. Susceptibility to a leaf curl was examined from the period 1994-1998 in a collection of selected vineyard peach genotypes and newly peach and nectarine cultivars. Selected low susceptible genotypes (vineyard peach GR/65/87 and processing peach Villa Ada) were used in cross-pollination with differently susceptible genotypes. The process produced more than 250 seedlings of F1 progeny from few combinations of the parents. Susceptibility of hybrid seedlings to the leaf curl pathogen was investigated several years in the open field, without application of pesticide. More types of inheritance of examined characteristic were determinate in the progenies from different combinations of the parents. The results agree with polygenic inheritance. .