Abstract:
A study of differently propagated plants (cuttings, scions grafted onto ‘Bruno’ seedling rootstock, grafted on ‘D1’ rootstock, and micropropagated in vitro) was carried out by measuring trunk diameter, pruning wood weight, yield and fruit flesh firmness, soluble solids concentration and acidity level.
Fruit was stored both in normal atmospheres (N.A.) and controlled atmospheres (C.A.). The plants grafted onto ‘D1’ rootstock showed the highest bearing precocity, followed by plants from cuttings, those grafted onto ‘Bruno’ and lastly by micropropagated plants.
The cumulated yield at the end of the seventh year was highest in the micropropagated vines followed by vines grafted onto ‘D1’, vines from cuttings and vines grafted on ‘Bruno’.
The best storeability was found in fruit from plants grafted on ‘D1’ stored in N.A., which retained their flesh firmness best; no differences between the plants propagated by different methods were found under C.A. conditions.
‘Bruno’ rootstock yielded fruits with the highest acidity both at harvest and after N.A. and C.A. storage.
|