ISHS Acta Horticulturae 557: VII International Symposium on Orchard and Plantation Systems
GROWTH, YIELD, AND WHOLE CANOPY PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESPONSE OF PEACH TO TIMING OF ROOT PRUNING, AND IRRIGATION |
| Authors: | S.K. Kurtural, B.H. Taylor |
| Keywords: | Prunus persica, canopy management, weight of prunings, yield efficiency |
| Abstract:
The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of time of root pruning with or without irrigation on vegetative growth, yield and whole canopy photosynthesis of ‘Loring’ peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.). The experiment was initiated in spring 1997 on mature peach trees spaced 2.5m x 5.0m and trained to an open center. The treatments imposed consisted of root pruning parallel to the row 0.6m from the trunk center, on both sides at either petal fall (PF_, PF+3wk, or PF+6wk or untreated control. Irrigation was applied daily starting with the onset of stage III of fruit growth on root pruned or non-root-pruned trees in 1997 and 1998 when natural precipitation was lacking. It was applied during a drought that occurred with the onset of stage II in 1999. The treatments were arranged as a 4 x 2 factorial (time of root pruning x irrigation) experiment in a randomized complete block design with ten single-tree replications. In 1997, the bearing canopy volume (BCV) was reduced by 24%, 16% and 12% in the PF, PF+3 wk and PF+6 wk treatments respectively compared to control. In 1997, irrigation increased BCV by 16% across all root pruning treatments. In 1998, BCV was reduced by 30%, 22%, 5% in the PF, PF+3 wk and PF+6 wk treatments respectively. In 1998 irrigation did not influence BCV because of sufficient rainfall. Root pruning reduced the amount of wood that was removed by annual pruning both in 1998 and 1999. In 1998, whole canopy net carbon exchange (NCE) per unit leaf area (m2) was not influenced by the treatments when measured after harvest. In 1999, NCE was not influenced by the treatments when measured during final swell. In 1998, yield (kg fruit/tree) was reduced by 12%, 33%, 15% in PF, PF+3 wk and PF+6 wk treatments, respectively when compared to control, but root pruning did not reduce yield efficiency in 1998. In addition, neither yield nor yield efficiency was affected by root pruning or irrigation in 1999. | |
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