Comparison of promising dwarfing rootstocks for ‘Fuyu’ Japanese persimmon trees

The influence of dwarfing persimmon rootstock choice on tree growth, labor requirements, and fruit quality of Japanese persimmon cultivar (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) was evaluated in a field experiment.
We compared the growth of ‘Fuyu’ scions grafted onto three candidate dwarfing rootstocks (SH11, No. 3, and S22) with that on ‘Aogaki’, a standard seedling rootstock, in the field.
Six years after planting, the canopy volume on the three dwarfing rootstocks was about 44-54% of that on the standard rootstock.
Similarly, the trunk cross-sectional area of the scions on the dwarfing rootstocks was about 37-60% of that on ‘Aogaki’. The total labor time required for the trees on the dwarfing rootstocks was about 1/4-1/2 less than that on ‘Aogaki’. The fruits produced on S22 and No. 3 rootstocks had lower soluble solids than those on ‘Aogaki’, but those produced on SH11 showed no significant differences in fruit quality (fruit weight, soluble solids, and peel color) from those on ‘Aogaki’. Trees on S22 produced the lowest yield owing to decreased vigor.
Even though trees on ‘Aogaki’ produced the highest yield, those on SH11 had the highest yield efficiency.
These results identify SH11 as a promising new rootstock for growing dwarfed ‘Fuyu’ trees because of the scions’ high yield efficiency and reduced labor requirements.

XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposia on the Physiology of Perennial Fruit Crops and Production Systems and Mechanisation, Precision Horticulture and Robotics

H. Yakushiji, A. Azuma, H. Sugiura, A. Yamasaki, Y. Koshita

canopy volume, Diospyros kaki, labor-saving, trunk cross-sectional area

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1130.70