Articles
CONSIDERATIONS ON APRICOT ORCHARDS DECLINE IN ROMANIA
The investigations carried out by Prica et al. (1974) have proved that apricot trees decline is common for all Romanian apricot growing areas, being less evident in Baneasa – Bucuresti and more evident under the ecological conditions of Iasi county.
The previous works have shown that depending of the rootstock used, the highest percentage of dead trees have registered on Myrobalan (Prica et al., 1974), some apricot varieties and peach ((Duquesne, Gall and Delmas – quoted by Gautier, 1980). The same authors have shown that the lowest percentage of dead apricot trees have recorded when Buburuz local plum variety, Mariana GF 8–1 and Renclod GF 1380 were used as rootstocks.
Bodi (1977) has pointed out that when Red Myrobalan was used as rootstock for apricot varieties, the lowest percentage of dead trees was recorded in Iasi county.
The apricot trees decline is due, into a great extend to variety (Bodi, 1971; Botez et al., 1971) but, especially, to variety/rootstock combination (Duquesne – quoted by Gautier, 1980).
As the apricot trees decline can be influenced by numerous and complex factors (Videaud et al. 1979), during 1974–1980 at Fruit Research Station Bihor, a field trial was organized having in view the interaction between variety and rootstock as well as the soil management system.