Evaluation of Pollen Compatibility and Selection of Suitable Pollenizer for Commercial Almond Cultivars

Due to the self incompatability almond (Prunus amygdalus B) needs cross-pollination, so it is important to choose the suitable pollinizers. This study was carried out to select appropriate pollinaizer for promising late flowering almond cultivars in Kamal Shahr Horticultural Research Station of Seed and Plant Improvement Institute in 2012 and 2013. For pollination, from female parent four trees were selected as replication and three barnches from each tree as a sample. Female parents including Aydin, Araz and Saba were crossed with the pollens of Shahrood 12, Shekoofeh, Sahand, Aydin, Araz, Saba supernova, Eskandar and A200 as male parents. Results of statistical analyses showed that effects of year and cros combinations were statistically different at the probability levels of 5% and 1% percent for fruit set in each time. Due to the results, the highest final fruit set percent was obtained in the crosses of Sahand cultivar as male parent with Saba cultivar as female parent (29.72 %). The lowest final fruit set was also obtained in crosses of Araz (male parent) with Shkoofeh (female parent), A200 (male parent) with Araz (female parent) and Shkoofeh (male parent) with Saba (female parent) (10.71, 9.65 and 7.01 %, respectively). Results of the analyse of variance of fruit characteristics of progenies showed statistically differences. Due to the results, in crosses which Aydin was female parent, fruits were larger than other combinations that Saba and Aras were as female parent.