SWEET CHERRY ROOT SYSTEM STRUCTURE DEPENDS ON THE ROOTSTOCK/CULTIVAR COMBINATION

In the spring of 2003, trees of ‘Lapins’ and ‘Regina’ sweet cherry, grafted on three clonal rootstocks, were planted individually in rhizoboxes, measuring 75 x 50 x 10 cm.
The rootstocks were ‘P-HL A’ and ‘GiSelA 5’ (dwarfing), and ‘F 12/1’ (vigorous). In the fourth year after planting, the trees were removed from the rhizo-boxes and the whole root system of each tree was cleaned and analyzed in terms of structure.
The root system of the trees grafted on ‘F12/1’ as well as of the ungrafted’ F12/1’ trees had a significantly higher total weight and length than the roots of the ‘GiSelA 5’ trees/rootstocks.
Generally, the root system of ‘F12/1’ consisted of a larger number of skeleton roots than the other rootstocks.
Irrespective of the rootstock type and the cultivar, in each root system the root hairs had greater length, surface area and volume than the lateral and skeleton roots.
In terms of weight, the lateral roots contributed least to the composition of the whole root system.
The average diameter of roots was markedly affected by the type of rootstock.
The roots of ‘F 12/1’ had larger diameters than those of ‘P-HL A’ and ‘GiSelA 5’.

VI International Cherry Symposium

M. Sitarek, L. Sas-Paszt

Prunus avium, rhizoboxes, root classes

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1020.34