Chaenomeles: Potential New Fruit Crop for Northern Europe

INTRODUCTION A number of plant species, that have only rarely been cultivated in the past, are now being investigated for possible domestication in northern Europe. Species within the Rosaceous genus Chaenomeles (also referred to as the common name of these species) have received increased attention because of their high yield of fruits, which are rich in juice, aroma, and dietary fiber, and because of their presumed potential for cultivation with organic production methods. In the Baltic region, development of Japanese quince (C. japonica) started in Latvia 1951. In 1993, the interest for growing Japanese quince reached a peak. Plantations in Latvia and Lithuania at that time comprised more than 400 ha. However, the seed propagated plants were very variable in several traits, including important fruit characters. This heterogeneity made field management difficult, cultivation less profitable and prevented the development of high quality products. At the same time the shift in economical system in the independent Baltic countries contributed to a strong competition on the market from import of exotic juice concentrates. Consequently the interest in growing Japanese quince dropped drastically. The need for improved plant material became obvious and a joint LatvianLithuanian-Swedish plant breeding program was therefore initiated. In this paper, the genus Chaenomeles is introduced, and its potential and utilization as a fruit crop is reviewed.