ISHS Acta Horticulturae 732: VIII International Symposium on Canopy, Rootstocks and Environmental Physiology in Orchard Systems
EFFECT OF ROOTSTOCKS AND SPACING ON GROWTH AND YIELD IN EARLY BEARING 'JONICA' AND 'GALA MUST' APPLE TREES |
| Authors: | K. Csigai, K. Hrotkó |
| Keywords: | apples (Malus domestica Borkh.), planting density, dwarfing rootstocks, tree vigour, yield efficiency |
| Abstract:
The experimental orchard was established at the Corvinus University of Budapest, Department of Fruit Science to investigate the optimal spacing on three dwarfing rootstocks ('M.9 Burgmer 984', 'M.9 T.337' and 'Jork 9') for apple cultivars 'Jonica' and 'Gala Must'. Trees were planted in spring 2000 at spacings of 3.6 x 0.75, 3.6 x 1.0, 3.6 x 1.25 or 3.6 x 1.5 m when trained as slender spindle, or spacings of 4.5 x 1.0, 4.5 x 1.25, 4.5 x 1.5, 4.5 x 1.75 m when trained as vertical axis. In this paper, the data of the first four years' growth and bearing are presented. The slender spindle trees at 3.6 m between the rows filled their space in the second year, whereas vertical axis trees reached this stage after the third year, and did not reach the assigned height in the fourth year. The effect of spacing on tree growth and yield efficiency appeared after the first two years on slender spindle trees, while effects on these variables have not yet been observed in trees planted at the wider distances in the vertical axis system. On slender spindle trees, a close relationship was found between the distance between trees and vegetative growth. A denser spacing resulted in the reduction of vegetative growth, but favoured flower bud formation and other indices of bearing. Trees on 'M.9 Burgmer 984' had the smallest trunk and canopy size. The trees on 'M.9 T.337' showed the strongest growth and those on 'Jork 9' were intermediate in vigour. In the other parameters, no significant differences between 'M.9 T.337' and 'Jork 9' were found. The flower number on 'M.9 T.337' exceeded that on 'Jork 9', but the cumulative yield for the first three years of bearing was the highest on 'Jork 9'. | |
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