A collection of quinces with edible fruit, reflecting the diversity of characteristics and suitable for breeding.

The quince genus (Chaenomeles Lindl.) belongs to the thorn family (Rosaceae Juss.). It is closely related to apple, pear, and quince trees. The quince was only described as a separate genus in 1822 and was previously considered to be an apple tree or a quince tree and is still sometimes confused with the latter. According to the Catalogue of Life, the genus contains four species that are native to Southeast Asia: Ch. cathayensis (Hemsl.) C.K. Shneid., the Chinese flowering quince, Ch. japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach, the Japanese flowering quince, Ch. speciosa (Sweet) Nakai, the flowering quince, and Ch. thibetica T.T. Yu.

Ch. japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach – Japanese flowering quince is a spiny shrub up to 1m tall with arching branches and red or orange flowers in clusters of 5-8 in short clusters. The fruit is an apple, usually lemon-shaped, yellowish, or greenish. It is hardy and can therefore be grown in colder climates.

Ch. speciosa (Sweet) Nakai - flowering quince - a taller shrub with much larger fruit, much more sensitive to frost, sometimes grown as a ornamental plant.

Ch. cathayensis (Hemsl.) C.K. Shneid. – Chinese flowering quince - a tall shrub or tree with very large fruit (up to 180g), sensitive to frost.

There are several hybrids: the most common are Ch. × superba (Ch. speciosa × Ch. japonica), Ch. × vilmoriniana (Ch. speciosa × Ch. cathayensis), Ch. × clarkiana (Ch. japonica × Ch. cathayensis), and Ch. × californica (the threefold hybrid Ch. japonica × Ch. superba × Ch. cathayensis).

Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai was cultivated in VU Botanical Garden in Sereikiškės in 1823, 1824 and 1834, but it is now impossible to trace whether it was a quince or a quince tree. According to the literature, the flowering quince (Ch. speciosa) was first introduced in Europe in 1824 and the Japanese flowering quince (Ch. japonica) was introduced in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in the Crimea in 1879. In Latvia, the Japanese flowering quince was first mentioned in the catalogue of F. Wagner in 1884-1885, and later in Estonia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and other countries. In Lithuania, the quince was mentioned in the garden of J. Strumila in 1883. In Europe, breeding work was initially directed towards ornamental forms and hundreds of varieties were developed. The quince as a valuable shrub was developed later, first in Latvia, then in Estonia, Germany, Finland and Sweden. They were promoted as shrubs in Lithuania by A. Urbonas, and V. Butkus introduced the idea of commercial value. In 1981, A. Ryliškis, who visited Latvia and became interested in establishing a commercial plantation, started growing them in Šimonys. Industrial plantations of Japanese flowering quince were intensively cultivated in Lithuania between 1980 and 1990, covering an area of over 200ha, but the plantations were abandoned or destroyed without the establishment of a fruit processing industry. During the 'golden age' of quince, the biological and biochemical properties of the fruit, as well as the cultivation and cultivation technologies, which had been studied in scientific institutions, were summarized in the doctoral theses of G. Ratomskytė (1982) and D. Kviklis (1998). Three quince varieties - Rondo, Rasa, and Darius - were developed in 2012 by the joint efforts of Lithuanian, Latvian and Swedish scientists.

The fruit is very valuable, containing organic acids (apple, lemon, wine), high levels of pectic and tart substances, vitamins, amino acids, trace elements, etc. The quince is known as the 'lemon of the north' because of its high vitamin C content and pleasant aroma.

Quince is now successfully grown in private gardens and farms, especially in Latvia, where large plantations have been established or preserved, fruit processing technologies have been developed, and the products are used for children's and dietary-organic food.

The aim of VU Botanical Garden collection is to assemble a collection of quince with edible fruit suitable for breeding. The aim is to collect specimens of Lithuanian breeding, specimens of foreign origin reflecting the morphological diversity of traits, and specimens from natural growing sites. The first large Japanese flowering quince plantation was established in 1993-1994, as seedlings of the spikeless quince cultivated by the amateur breeder V. Paketūras. After evaluation and selection, the best specimens in the plantation of 4764 bushes were propagated vegetatively: a collection of genetic lines was created. The selection criteria were the height and shape of the bush, the lowest possible degree of prickliness, the largest possible fruit size, and the widest possible variety of fruit shape and color, etc. The genetic line collection currently contains 57 accessions. The predominant combination of traits (19 specimens) is as follows: shrub resistant to fungal diseases, semi-vertical, spines every 10-15cm, fruit weight 50g. The collection has been intensively studied under the Lithuanian Plant Genetic Resources Programme, with evaluation of fruiting, fruit chemistry, phytosanitary status, etc. Later, a collection of seedlings from the 14 best genetic lines was planted and is being selected.

IŠSAMUS KOLEKCIJOS PRISTATYMAS (ATSISIŲSTI)

		Chaenomeles japonicaC '00/16-110' A seedling from the V. Paketūras collection, selected in VU Botanical Garden. Resistant to fungal diseases. Semi-vertical shrub, with spikes on the twigs every 10-15cm. Fruits are pumpkin-shaped, yellow, with a strong waxy coating. Yield is medium, with a weight of about 50g and 90g for the largest fruits.
		Chaenomeles japonica '98/5-1' A seedling from the V. Paketūras collection, selected in VU Botanical Garden. Resistant to fungal diseases. The shrub is horizontal, with spikes on the twigs every 10-15cm. The fruits are small, apple-shaped, yellow-red. Average yield, fruit weight about 30g.
		Chaenomeles japonica '99/2-1' A seedling from the V. Paketūras collection, selected in VU Botanical Garden. Resistant to fungal diseases. The shrub is upright, with spikes on the twigs every 10-15cm. The fruit is very large, irregularly pumpkin-shaped, furrowed, late ripening and therefore yellowish green. Yield is very good, with a weight of about 70g and 90g for the largest fruits.
		Chaenomeles japonica '99/16-2' A seedling from the V. Paketūras collection, selected in VU Botanical Garden. Resistant to fungal diseases. Semi-vertical shrub, with spikes on the twigs every 10-15cm. The fruit is large, apple or pumpkin-shaped, yellow. Yields are very good, weighing about 50g, the largest about 80g.