ISHS Acta Horticulturae 592: V International Peach Symposium
ROOTSTOCK TEST FOR PERPENDICULAR V TRAINING SYSTEM |
| Author: | C. Craham |
| Keywords: | peach, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, compatibility, native species, dwarfing |
| Abstract:
A peach orchard was established in 1997 to screen 14 commercial peach rootstocks and Prunus species for graft compatibility and for their growth controlling potential. 'Harvester' was budded on the rootstocks and all trees were trained to the perpendicular V system. The most vigorous rootstocks were Nemaguard, Rubira, and P. angustifolia, having a significantly greater trunk cross-sectional area (TCA) than six of the rootstocks in the test. Lovell, Higama, and P. hortulana were not significantly different in TCA. Trees on P. hortulana were only 95% and 80% the size of Lovell and Nemaguard trees, respectively. The rest of the rootstocks produced trees which were 27% to 118% of Lovell. Excessive suckering occurred with P. angustifolia and P. besseyi, both of which use this as a means of colonization in native stands. All of the other rootstocks averaged less than three root suckers per tree from 1998 through 2001 except for Higama (7.1) and P. tomentosa (4.3). Seven of the rootstocks suffered significant losses compared to the four peach rootstocks (Nemaguard, Lovell, Higama, and Rubira) and P. hortulana. Although some tree loss occurred, Lovell, Higama, Rubira, P. hortulana, P. americana, and P. angustifolia were not significantly different from Nemaguard (100% survival). Rubira and Nemaguard had the greatest number of fruit per hectare and kg of fruit per hectare, being significantly greater than all other rootstocks tested. The best performing native species was P. hortulana. It had significantly greater yield than P. mexicana, P. americana, St. Julien A, P. tomentosa, Prunus umbellata and P. tenella . Lovell did not perform as well as expected, finishing 5th in fruit number and 4th in yield. | |
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