ABSTRACT
History of growth and cultivation of quince tree dates back to at least 2500 years ago in the ancient cultures of Persia, Greece, and Romans. This tree is the monospecific member of genus Cydonia and is classified as a temperate fruit and also is a medicinal low-cost natural source of the phenolics. The quince tree is native to North Iran, Turkmenistan, and the Transcaucasian region, and it seems that its local cultivars originated mostly from selections of superior genotypes made by growers over past centuries. The particular features of quince trees and fruits tied their cultivation and use to the mythologies, and for this reason, the cultivation of quinces principally is subjected to the cultural believes of nations rather than commercial interests of producers. Due to the original adaptation of quince to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains and Persia, this tree can be cultivated in the cool temperate zones with moderate altitudes. Well-known commercial quince cultivars are “Isfahan,” “Ekmek,” “Şeker,” “Limon,” “Bardacık,” “Eşme,” “Smyrna,” “Bereczcki,” “Vranja,” “Portugal,” “Gamboa,” “Orange,” “Meech’s Prolific,” “Van Deman,” “Pineapple,” and “Champion,” but attempts for breeding of quince cultivars for fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) resistance, tolerance to lime-induced iron chlorosis, growth habit, and bearing have resulted in the release of new cultivars such as “Viduja.” Various aspects of quince cultivation and orchard management, including propagation and rootstock selection, tree nutrition 184and irrigation, and pest and disease control are principally similar to the other pome fruits, but some aspects such as flower bud initiation and differentiation, and the level of self-fertility are also the matters of controversy in the literature. Recent worldwide evaluations of the quince germplasm collections revealed that a wide potential for the modernization and commercialization of quince orchards exists that needs more consideration.
