Compatibility among early, medium and late bloom almond genotypes revealed by pollen tube growth and fruit set

Most of the almond (Prunus dulcis , Batch) cultivars and genotypes are self-incompatible and some of them are cross-incompatible, which protect high yield production. In the present study, eighteen Maragheh indigenous almond genotypes with favorable traits were selected for the investigation of compatibility relationships among them, by means of pollen tube penetration to ovary and fruit setting methods. Genotypes were divided into three groups based on their blooming time and pollinated by the pollens of synchronized-bloom genotypes. Fruit set was studied in the field, and pollen tube penetration was studied in the laboratory with florescence microscopy. Experiment was carried out based on completely randomized design (CRD) and data were analyzed with SAS software. Results showed that all of the genotypes were cross compatible and they could be selected to pollinate each others in almond breeding and orchards establishment programs.