ISHS Acta Horticulturae 297: II International Symposium on Kiwifruit
ROOT SYSTEM CONFORMATION AND GROWTH OF KIWIFRUIT AS AFFECTED BY PROPAGATION TECHNIQUE |
| Authors: | D. Piccotino, R. Massai, G. Baroni, M. Bovo |
| Keywords: | root length, starch concentration, rooted cuttings, in vitro propagation, grafted plants |
| Abstract:
Trials were carried out on kiwifruit vines (cv. Hayward) propagated by micropropagation, from hardwood cuttings or by grafting onto ‘D1’ rootstock. At the end of each of the first two growth seasons, three plants per treatment were uprooted to assess root system conformation and growth. Soluble carbohydrate and starch content were analysed. At the end of the first year, the soil volume explored by the roots was 0.11 m3 for micropropagated vines, 0.12 m3 for the grafted vines and 0.08 m3 for the vines grown from rooted cuttings. The differences persisted until the end of the second year, with values of 0.64, 0.74 and 0.41 m3, respectively. Root density showed no substantial differences among the treatments and remained constant over the two years; growth was greater along the row in all treatments and both years. In both years the root systems of micropropagated and grafted vines were 50% larger than those of vines from cuttings. Structural roots contained high concentrations of starch and the majority of dry matter (80%) while fine roots (<1 mm) represented 90–93% of root length and 50% of the total root surface area. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
