Nutritional status of stone fruit trees on dwarfing and vigorous rootstocks under warm Mediterranean conditions

Fruit tree orchards are usually based on a combination of scion and rootstock.
The new management trend toward orchard intensification requires rootstocks that reduce tree vigour to control tree size.
For stone fruits, newly released dwarfing rootstocks (‘Rootpac^® 20’ and ‘Krymsk^® 1’) were tested in a high density planting with the well-adapted but vigorous ‘Garnem’ rootstock.
Two experimental orchards of almond and peach were selected in a warm production area in northern Tunisia.
A sweet almond cultivar ‘Tuono’ grafted on ‘Garnem’ and ‘Rootpac^® 20’ were planted at 2 m within rows and 4 m between rows and also 1.5×4 m spacing, respectively.
For peach, tree spacing was 2×6 m on both rootstocks.
This investigation aimed to explore the nutritional status induced by vigorous and dwarfing rootstocks under warm conditions.
The main macro element (N, P and K) analyses were monitored for the scion-rootstock combinations.
Results showed that rootstock type influenced the nutritional status of fruit trees.
Dwarfing rootstock ‘Rootpac^® 20’ affected the leaf mineral contents of almond with visual chlorosis symptoms, whereas ‘Krymsk^® 1’ performed similarly to the invigorating ‘Garnem’ for peach.
This study gives additional information on the adaptability of Prunus rootstocks via leaf mineral analysis as a nutritional status tool.

XXX International Horticultural Congress IHC2018: International Symposium on Cultivars, Rootstocks and Management Systems of Deciduous Fruit and Fruit Tree Behaviour in Dynamic Environments

J. Ben Yahmed, M. Ghrab, H. Benmoussa, M. Ben Mimoun

foliar mineral analysis, planting system, Prunus dulcis, Prunus persica

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1281.45