RT conferenceObject T1 Pomegranate improvement through clonal selection and hybridization in Elche A1 Bartual, Julián A1 Valdés, Guillermo A1 Andreu, J. A1 Lozoya, A. A1 García, J. A1 Badenes, María L. A2 MelgarejoPablo K1 Accessions K1 Fruit characteristics K1 IVIA's germoplasm collection K1 Punica granatum K1 Germplasm K1 Hybridization AB Spain is one of the most important pomegranate producers and exporters in the Mediterranean Basin. In spite of various pomegranate cultivars grown, sweet and soft seeds ‘Mollar de Elche’ and ‘Valenciana’ are the main varieties-population. This paper reports the activities in progress on pomegranate germplasm and breeding in the last ten years at Valencian Agricultural Research Institute (IVIA) in Elche. A collection of 35 accessions collected from different parts of Alicante was established and characterised. The collection has been implemented with new accessions. Hybridization between ‘Mollar de Elche’ and other foreign varieties was done in order to obtain darker skin and early ripening. Crossbred progenies were selected and they are being examined in an experimental orchard. PB Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes SN 2-85352-501-5 SN 1016-121-X YR 2012 FD 2012 LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7907 UL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7907 LA en NO Bartual, J., Valdés, G., Andreu, J., Lozoya, A., García, J. & Badenes, M. L. (2012). Pomegranate improvement through clonal selection and hybridization in Elche. II International Symposium on the Pomegranate, 71-74. Zaragoza: CIHEAM / UHM. DS MINDS@UW RD Jun 27, 2022