Abstract

Cvs. which have shown fruit resistance to B. cinerea in Canada and the USA have not been useful parents for breeding for resistance in Scotland. However there was a correlation between fruit firmness and resistance, and thus good resistance was obtained from parents selected for their exceptional fruit firmness. General combining ability accounted for nearly all the variation observed in this form of resistance. Selection for fruit firmness should be sufficient without additional selection for resistance to B. cinerea, but possibly should be accompanied by selection for cane resistance to reduce the availability of inoculum.