Breeding of Korean Raisin Tree (Hovenia dulcis var. koreana Nakai) for High Productivity in Korea

For the purpose of breeding a high-yield superior variety of Korean raisin tree (Hovenia dulcis var. koreana Nakai), whose value as an edible and medicinal resource is increasing, tree candidates for superior individuals were selected from its 11 habitats in Korea from 1996 to 1998. A clone bank preserve was created in 1998 with 70 clones proliferated by grafting; the fruition traits (e.g., the number of fructified laterals, the average number of bunches per fructified lateral, the average number of bunches per fruiting lateral, the fruitpetiole weight per individual, and the yield per individual) of 47 clones that had bloomed and borne fruit were investigated and analyzed in 2002; five upper-ranking clones whose yield per individual exhibited a 261% improvement against the total average were picked in 2005; and three clones, including ‘Poong-Sung 1’, that showed a difference in their fruit petiole ripening stage, were finally selected in 2007 as high-yield new cultivars of Korean raisin tree.