{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T01:02:49Z","timestamp":1773709369451,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":73,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,26]],"date-time":"2026-02-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772064000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005416","name":"The Research Council of Norway","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["309248"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["309248"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005416","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Plants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study examines the reproductive biology of five widely cultivated apple cultivars in Norway (\u2018Discovery\u2019, \u2018Rubinstep\u2019, \u2018Red Aroma\u2019, \u2018Elstar\u2019, and \u2018Asfari\u2019), when crossed with the main pollenizers (\u2018Summerred\u2019, \u2018Discovery\u2019, \u2018Katja\u2019, \u2018Rubinstep\u2019, \u2018Red Aroma\u2019, \u2018Fryd\u2019, and \u2018Eden\u2019, and two crab apples \u2018Professor Sprenger\u2019 and \u2018Dolgo\u2019), as well as under self-pollination and open pollination. The experiment was conducted over two seasons (2022\u20132023) in Hardanger, a region in Western Norway. Flowering time and overlap, in vitro pollen germination, pollen tube growth within the styles and ovary, embryo sac viability, fertilization success, and fruit set were analyzed as key reproductive parameters. Under broadly comparable climatic conditions across both seasons, the results showed that both mother cultivar and the pollenizer strongly influenced progamic processes and fruit set. Pollen tube growth through the pistil was generally faster and more successful in 2022 for all pollination combinations, resulting in a higher fruit set. The only exception was \u2018Elstar\u2019, which exhibited a higher fruit set in 2023. If a single optimal pollenizer were to be selected for each apple cultivar in Western Norway, it would be \u2018Red Aroma\u2019 for \u2018Discovery\u2019 and \u2018Rubinstep\u2019; \u2018Rubinstep\u2019 for \u2018Red Aroma\u2019 and \u2018Elstar\u2019; and \u2018Professor Sprenger\u2019 for \u2018Asfari\u2019. Based on pollen tube growth in vivo and the fruit set, cultivars \u2018Discovery\u2019, \u2018Rubinstep\u2019, \u2018Red Aroma\u2019, \u2018Elstar\u2019, and \u2018Asfari\u2019 showed self-incompatibility.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/plants15050701","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,26]],"date-time":"2026-02-26T11:23:45Z","timestamp":1772105025000},"page":"701","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Studies on the Reproductive Ability of Various Apple (Malus \u00d7 domestica Borkh.) Cultivars Grown in the Climatic Conditions of Western Norway"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Radosav","family":"Cerovi\u0107","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Innovation Centre of Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11120 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9086-9145","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Milica Fotiri\u0107","family":"Ak\u0161i\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fruit Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4457-9080","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Milena","family":"\u00d0or\u0111evi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pomology and Fruit Breeding, Fruit Research Institute, Kralja Petra I\/9, 32000 \u010ca\u010dak, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7646-6687","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marko","family":"Kitanovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fruit Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"An\u0111elija","family":"Obradovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Science Application in Agriculture, Bulevar despota Stefana 68b, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3355-8775","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mekjell","family":"Meland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Horticulture, NIBIO Ullensvang, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ullensvangvegen 1005, N-5781 Lofthus, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li\u010dina, V., Krogstad, T., Fotiri\u0107 Ak\u0161i\u0107, M., and Meland, M. 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