ISHS Acta Horticulturae 557: VII International Symposium on Orchard and Plantation Systems
EARLY PERFORMANCE OF EUROPEAN PLUM HIGH DENSITY PRODUCTION SYSTEMS |
| Author: | M. Meland |
| Keywords: | Prunus domestica L., training systems, high density, yield, fruit quality |
| Abstract:
Little orchard management research has focused on European plums. It has mainly been limited to cultivar and rootstock testing and chemical fruit thinning. The trees are mainly trained as a central leader with minimum pruning and grafted on the clonal rootstock St. Julien A (Prunus insitita L). One important research issue is, therefore, to develop orchard systems which integrate important components like tree density, planting and support systems and training and pruning techniques. An intensive field planting of ‘Edda’, ‘Opal’ and ‘Mallard’ plum trees (Prunus domestica L.) all grafted on the semidwarf rootstock St. Julien A was established in 1993 at Ullensvang Research Centre, western Norway at 60° North. The objectives were to evaluate four different single row planting systems (vertical axis, free spindle, hedgerow and Y-trellis) and three planting densities (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 x 4 m for the Y-trellis and hedge trees and 2.0 x 4 m for the central leader trees) in a northern climate. These planting distances gave a range of tree density of 1,250 - 5,000 trees per ha. The experiment gave a small yield in the third leaf on all canopy systems. During the first four cropping years, the yields/ha were positively correlated with tree density. Cumulative yield per hectare was highest on the Y-trellis and hedge trees with the highest density (5,000 trees per ha). In the fourth leaf, the Y-trellis trees gave 15 tons per hectare. No differences in fruit size or the soluble solids content among canopies or densities were found. | |
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