Spring frost is a limiting factor for yield and its stability in sour cherry. Shoots of sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) 7 cultivars were artificially frozen at −4°C for 30 min at the Department of Orchard plant Genetics and biotechnology of institute of Horticulture, lithuanian research Centre for agriculture and Forestry. Dynamics of phenological phases was observed and probability of spring frost was evaluated. Cultivars were divided into two groups according to resistance to spring frost at different phenological phases. the first group consisted of plants that were most sensitive to frost in the fruit germ phonological phase. the second group consisted of the cultivars which were mostly sensitive in full bloom phase. It was established that resistance of sour cherry cultivars to spring frost is a combination of several biological components. Sour cherry resistance to spring frost depends on the level of development of generative buds during spring frost; stability of bearing depends also on the duration of most susceptible phenological phases and spring frost probability during these phases. plants of 'Orkolija' cultivar were the most injured at −4°C in full bloom phase as compared to other phonological phases and differed significantly compared to other cultivars studied. Stable bearing occurs in the sour cherry cultivars with short phenophases in which generative organs are most vulnerable to frost, and these phases occur when the probability of spring frost is low.

The survival of apple trees in old and abandoned orchards over 100 years indicates their adaptation to the local environment. These plants have passed an economic and ecological selection over the years. The structure of genetic diversity of apple germplasm in the old orchards of Lithuania is largely unknown. We applied a common set of 7 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to genotype 292 accessions across more than 50 geographic locations representing all Lithuanian geographic regions with the aim of analysing the distribution and structure of variation of the apple genetic resources. Eighty-one polymorphic alleles were identified. Of these, 5 alleles were unique, identified only in four individual genotypes. The COL locus was the most homozygous (44.7%) among the cultivars and clones of the apple; however, the part of the germplasm may be heterozygous for nullalleles and those individuals cannot be distinguished from the homozygous ones. The CH02c11 locus was the most heterozygous (90.0%) in the reference cultivars; meanwhile the CH04e05 locus was the most heterozygous (84.4%) among the analysed genotypes. Triploid genotypes constituted 12.5% among the analysed genotypes. A cluster analysis revealed 5 distinct clusters among the 182 diploid apple genotypes collected from the old orchards. According to molecular marker data, the names of 12 apple cultivars were attributed to 45 analysed unknown genotypes. It was found that traditional apple cultivars 'Popierinis', 'Paprastasis antaninis' and 'Pilkasis molinis' were the most prevalent cultivars in the old orchards. The apple genotypes that have survived in old orchards are valuable sources of traits for breeding as well as of high ecological, economic and heritage importance. Their use in breeding programs would significantly extend the diversity of adaptive genes of the domestic apple.

Fruits of actinidia (Actinidia Lindl.) genotypes are known as a source of vitamins C and E, minerals, dietary fibre, various organic acids, carotenoids, flavonoids, and other useful compounds, but almost no data are available about proteins and amino acids content. The objective of the study was to determine the amounts of crude protein and amino acids in the fruits of kolomikta actinidia (Actinidia kolomikta (Maxim. & Rupr.) Maxim.) cultivars. Four Lithuanian cultivars 'Laiba', 'Lankė', 'Landė' and 'Paukštės Šakarva' were investigated. The cultivars were developed at Aleksandras Stulginskis University's research orchard and have been under investigation there for 25 years. The amount of crude protein was determined by the Kjeldahl method. Amino acids were separated by ionexchange chromatography and detected photometrically. The crude protein content of the investigated kolomikta actinidia fruits ranged between 0.96-1.32%. There were no significant differences in the protein content among the cultivars tested. The protein content of kolomikta actinidia fruits is similar to that of another species of actinidiakiwifruits (Actinidia chinensis Planch. (A.Chev) C.F.Liang & A.R.Ferguson). In kolomikta actinidia fruit, glutamic acid was the predominant amino acid with values ranging from 7.60 to 9.51 g kg -1 . The highest amount of essential amino acids was in ‛Laiba' fruits (17.71 g kg -1 ), while that of nonessential amino acids in ‛Lankė' fruits (33.24 g kg -1 ). The recommended ratio of total essential amino acids to the total amino acids, protein efficiency ratio, amount of total nonessential, sulphur, aromatic, neutral, acidic, basic, branched chain amino acids, leucine/isoleucine ratio and their percentage levels in the fruits of all cultivars were calculated. The study showed that amino acids amounts and percentage levels in kolomikta actinidia fruits tested are similar to those in kiwifruits.

Super hardy kiwifruit [Actinidia kolomikta (Maxim. & Rupr.) Maxim.] accumulate large amounts of biologically active compounds, but it is possible to store ripe fruit for a very short time, only 2 weeks at 0–5 °C. Therefore, it is necessary to determine optimal storage conditions to prolong fruit storage time. The aim of this research was to analyse changes in the basic chemical composition of fruit during ripening in controlled atmosphere chambers. Fruit was stored for 6 weeks at a constant temperature (0 °C) and humidity (90%) in different air compositions (No. 1—21% O2, 78% N2; No. 2—0.5% O2, 98.5% N2, 1% CO2; No. 3—1.5% O2, 95.5% N2, 3% CO2; No. 4—2% O2, 93% N2, 5% CO2). The chemical composition of the fruit was determined at harvest, after 2, 4 and 6 weeks of storage. Dry matter, soluble solids, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were analysed. The greatest increase in the contents of dry matter and soluble solids after 6 weeks of storage was found in the chamber where O2 was 2% and CO2 was 5%. The ascorbic acid content decreased during the fruit ripening process regardless of the air composition. Most of the ascorbic acid remained in fruit stored in the chamber with 1.5% O2 and 3% CO2. The concentration of total chlorophyll and total carotenoids in the fruit increased as development progressed. The different air parameters in the storage chambers had different effects on the synthesis of pigments in fruit, but the content of pigments increased most in fruit stored in the chamber with atmospheric parameters 0.5% O2 + 1% CO2.

The research has been carried out in 2013–2014 in an organic farm located in Medsėdžiai village, Klaipėda district, and intensive farm located in Laiviai village, Kretinga district. Four agrocenoses have been investigated: wheat, triticale, oat, and multiannual grassland. Five pitfall traps were set out in each of agrocenosis and the traps were active from the last decade of April until the last decade of August. Ground beetle adults that were detected during the study belonged to 27 species and 15 genera. The most abundant ground beetle species were Poecilus cupreus L., Pterostichus melаnаrius Ill, Аmаrа аeneа Deg, Cаrаbus cаncellаtus Ill., Hаrpаlus rufipes Deg., Аnchomenus dorsаlis Pontop. and Bembidion properаns Steph., representatives of which were detected in large numbers in all without an exception investigated agrocenoses and in both types of farming. Two seasonal activity peaks of P. cupreus L. abundance were distinguished in the organic farm: first in the beginning of June and the second in the mid-July. Meanwhile, in the intensive farm it was observed in late May. Click beetle adults, identified in the study, were prescribed to 6 species and 4 genera. The most abundant click beetle species were Agriotes obscurus L., Agriotes lineatus L. and Agriotes sputator L. which occurred without an exception in all the agrocenoses and both types of farms. It was determined that the highest click beetle adults’ activity in the intensive farm was observed in the end of July while the maximum of click beetle adults’ activity in the organic farm was defined in June.