ISHS Acta Horticulturae 160: III International Symposium on Research and Development on Orchard and Plantation Systems
REDUCING THE COST OF ANCHORING TREES |
| Authors: | J.E. Jackson, R.S. Harrison-Murray |
| Abstract:
The cost of establishment of high-density orchards is still a major constraint on their profitability. The cost of trees and stakes alone for a planting of 3000 trees per hectare is currently more than £8000 at UK prices. Using poor quality, cheaply produced, trees is counterproductive because only large, well-branched trees can give the necessary yields soon after planting. Deep-planting on rootstocks such as MM.106 and M.26 is now being used in the UK as a technique to improve anchorage and remove or reduce the need for staking. It has not been as suitable for M.9 probably because of the slowness with which newly-buried rootstock stem of M.9 produces new roots. Pre-treating the above-ground M.9 rootstock stem of worked trees in the nursery so as to exclude light from it produced a state of readiness-to-root which led to prolific rooting when deep-planted in the orchard. Effects on anchorage are being evaluated. | |
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