Raspberry is a delicious fruit with important nutritional and health properties for consumers. The efficiency of achieving raspberry breeding aims such as productivity, fruit quality, and adequate response to stressors, etc., depends directly on knowledge of the inheritance of traits and genetic factors of influence and their pragmatic use. In this study, the main morphological characteristics and chemical components of fruits of 24 raspberry genotypes were studied in a comparative field trial; 14 were promising selections and the other 10 included their parental forms (Autumn Bliss, Glen Moy, Glen Prosen, Opal, Pathfinder, Titan, Tulameen, Veten, Willamette) and Glen Ample cultivar, which was used as control. The results highlighted significant differences and a large variation among the genotypes (between 2.40 and 4.90 g for fruit weight, 0.19–0.47 kg/cane for yield, 50–106 for drupelets/fruit, 10.0–12.7% for dry matter, 0.23–2.00% pectin, 1.61–2.72% glucose, etc.). The inheritance of the analyzed traits, considered quantitative, was different, but a low heritability was recorded for non-marketable fruits and the number of drupelets in fruit. In several hybrid selections, negative heterosis prevailed, highlighting the breeding difficulties of the important desired traits of the species. The values of heterosis and the broad-sense and narrow-sense heritability of some traits demonstrate that, through judiciously choosing parents, raspberry breeding in the desired direction can be successful.

The research concerning the improvement of the cherry assortment, the cultivars’ quality and the avoiding of market crowding with fresh cherries only on a short term are extremely important objectives for cherries’ breeding. To accomplish some of these objectives, during 1981-2017, hybridization and selection of hybrids were performed at the Research Station for Fruit Growing Iași (RSFG Iași), in the N-E part of Romania, concluding with a series of promising hybrid selections. They have been grafted, planted and studied in trial fields. Therefore, during 1994-2016, RSFG Iași released 28 sweet cherry cultivars with high quality fruits and different maturation stages. In the studies performed during 2014-2017, there were analysed three new sweet cherry cultivars (‘Elaiaşi’, ‘Muşatini’ and ‘Croma’), obtained through controlled hybridization. The comparison of these new cultivars was performed against ‘Van’, used as control, this being a well-known cultivar in the orchards from the study area. Observations and measurements concerning the main phenological stages, natural fertility, physical features, organoleptic, quality and chemical traits of fruit were registered. The cultivars with the biggest dimensions of the fruits were ‘Elaiaşi’ and ‘Croma’ (with a weight between 8.9 and 9.4 g and a fruits’ diameter between 25.2 and 26.6 mm), having significantly larger dimensions in comparison with ‘Van’. In the new investigated cherry cultivars, the values of soluble solids content were comprised between 17.0 and 20.2 °Brix, titratable acidity was between 0.46 - 0.57 mg of malic acid 100 mL-1 juice and the total polyphenols content was recorded between 382.87 - 780.25 mg GAE 100 mL-1 of fresh juice.   ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 3, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********

Sweet cherry tree (Prunus avium L., Rosaceae) is a species with high economic efficiency in production and in the last twenty years the scientific interest increased in the North-East region of Romania. In the area of Ia�i in 2014 the combined influence of the fruits position on tree level in different cultivars was recorded in terms of morphological and biochemical characteristics for nine different cultivars ex situ collected. Fruits collected from two different height-levels areas of tree were used for analysis in each cultivar. Fruit pulp and kernel were investigated in terms of biometry, total solids content, vitamin C, total flavonoids (flavones), and polyphenols. Fruit mass and diameter showed higher values in samples collected from the upper side of the tree on Catalina, Scorospelka, Van and Bucium�cultivars, ranging between 5.8 g / fruit to 9.5 g / fruit and 20.6 to 26.3 mm / fruit respectively. Kernel mass was higher on upper side of the tree on Catalina and Marina cultivars, while on Scorospelka, Van, Bucium and Stefan the values were greater on down half of the tree but without statistical signification. Total solids content of the fruit recorded values between 13.7 to 21.15%, the highest values being recorded in fruits sampled from the upper half of the tree on Catalina, Rivan�, Bucium, Stefan, Galata and Marina cultivars. Total flavonoids content recorded values ranging from 2.45 to 4.84 mg catechin g-1 DW, with increased values for samples collected from the upper part of the tree. Vitamin C content shows values ranging from 1.98 to 8.62 ascorbic acid 100 g-1 DW, the greater value being recorded for Stefan�cultivar from the upper side of the tree.

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The studies were performed for four consecutive years (2016–2019) at the Fruit Growing Research Station (North-East part of Romania), using eleven sweet cherry genotypes as research material. Five of them are new cherry cultivars – ‘Cătălina’, ‘Andreiaş’, ‘Maria’, ‘George’, and ‘Margonia’ – obtained by means of controlled hybridization or open pollination, and six of them are their progenitors (‘Van’, ‘Boambe de Cotnari’, ‘Stella’, ‘Fromm’, ‘Ciliegia di Ottobre’, and the ‘HC 27/4’ hybrid). The experiment compared the traits of new cultivars with those of their progenitors. The following traits were evaluated: tree vigor, frost damage, the phenological stages, and the physical and chemical traits of the fruit. The highest values concerning the fruit's weight have been recorded for ‘Andreiaş’ (10.0 g) and ‘Maria’ (7.6 g), the content of soluble substance was between 16.6 and 19.5°Brix, the titratable acidity was between 0.413 and 0.675 mg malic acid·100 mL−1 juice, and the total content of polyphenols was recorded with values between 268.00 and 488.75 mg GAE·100 mL−1 of fresh juice. The new cultivars have mostly superior traits, especially frost damages, productivity, fruit quality, and fruit's cracking percentage compared with their parental genotypes.

Starting with 1981, the objectives of the breeding programmes in the Research Station for Fruit Growing (RSFG) Iaşi, Romania, took into consideration the on-going improvement of the sweet cherry assortment with cultivars having fruit-bearing precocity, with great productions, self-fertile, with decreased trees’ vigour, crown compactness, resistant to anthracnose, monilia, frost and fruit’s cracking, flowering lateness, superior quality of the fruits and ripening time at the extremities of the sweet cherries’ maturation season. As a result of the breeding programmes that took place up till present at RSFG Iaşi, 28 new sweet cherry cultivars, obtained through controlled hybridization, free pollination and conservative clonal selection, were homologated during 1994-2017. The present results refer to a study led during 2015-2017, having as biological material nine sweet cherry cultivars (‘Cetăţuia’, ‘Cătălina’, ‘Golia’, ‘Bucium’, ‘Ştefan’, ‘Iaşirom’, ‘Oana’, ‘Radu’ and ‘Ludovan’) obtained through controlled hybridization. The comparision of the cultivars has been performed versus their genitors ‘Van’ (♀) and ‘Boambe de Cotnari’(♂). There have been taken observations and determinations concerning the trees’ vigour, resistance to frost and anthracnosis, the main growing and fructification phenophases, physical and chemical treats of the fruit. The highest values regarding fruit’s weight (7.5-8.9 g) have been recorded for the ‘Ludovan’, ‘Bucium’, ‘Ştefan’, ‘Iaşirom’ and ‘Golia’ cultivars, while the values of the soluble substance content have been between 15.20-19.25 °Brix, the titratable acidity has been between 0.455-0.764 g malic acid 100 mL-1 of fresh juice and the total content of polyphenols has recorded values between 97.41-574.95 mg GAE 100 mL-1 of fresh juice. The hybridization between ‘Van’ and ‘Boambe de Cotnari’ has allowed the obtaining of valuable cultivars, that got remarked by earliness (‘Cetăţuia’, ‘Cătălina’), decreased trees’ vigour (‘Ştefan’, ‘Golia’), particular quality of the fruits (‘Ludovan’, ‘Iaşirom’, ‘Golia’, ‘Bucium’, ‘Ştefan’, ‘Oana’, ‘Radu’) and resistance to diseases and frost (‘Bucium’, ‘Iaşirom’).

The aim of this paper is to improve the autochthonous sweet cherry assortment with new cultivars of good adaptability and ecological plasticity, with superior biological potential, productive, with quality fruits and superior features, in comparison to existing cultivars. Due to the characteristic of having an earlier ripening age for the fruits compared to the other tree species (beginning in May), the cherry is the first ring in the annual chain of fruits production. On the fresh fruits market, the preferred ones are the cultivars type ‘bigarreau’, with shining red colour, resistant to cracking, transport and temporary storage with the weight of over 7 g. Analysing the main phenological stages for the two cultivars, it was noticed that the new sweet cherry cultivar ‘Elaiaşi’ is average both in flowering beginning time and fruits maturation season. In regards to average productions for five years (2012 - 2016), from the statistical point of view, it was noticed that ‘Elaiaşi’ (21.1 kg/tree) recorded production with insignificant positive differences in comparison to the witness cultivar ‘Van’ (20.2 kg/tree). Under the aspect of fruits’ weight and equatorial diameter, ‘Elaiaşi’ (8.8 g and, respectively, 25.1 mm) recorded significant and respectively positive significant differences, in comparison to the witness cultivar ‘Van’ (7.6 g and 23.9 mm). Concerning the fruit’s resistance to cracking, ‘Elaiaşi’ cultivar presented a superior resistance (2.7 %) to the witness cultivar ‘Van’ (42.0 %), recording distinct significant negative differences in comparison to this cultivar from the statistical point of view.

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