Comparative evaluation of T-budding and budstick graft for Tarocco blood orange propagation in Sicily

Despite the T-budding propagation being the prevalent technique for citrus trees production in container, the graft of budsticks including 2-3 buds is preferred in some Mediterranean countries.
A comparison of T-budding and budstick graft is in progress in the “Novarancia” project, funded by the RDProgram Sicily 2014-2022. To evaluate the horticultural effects in the nursery and after transplanting into the field, three clones of Tarocco sweet orange (‘Lempso’, ‘Ippolito’ and ‘Meli’) were propagated by the end of May in container-grown Carrizo and C35 citrange rootstocks in greenhouse of a commercial nursery in eastern Sicily.
Tarocco Rosso clone was T-budded onto C35 by the end of September and early October.
Measurements of plant growth, carried out every 120 days, showed no significative differences in tree height and rootstock and scion stem diameter.
Destructive measurements of the biomass allocation in stems, roots, and leaves, was performed in January 2023, and no significant differences were found among treatments.
The plants were transplanted in four fields and checked in September and one year later for height, rootstock diameter, sturdiness quotient and the ratio height/shoot number.
Results show that either T-budding or budstick graft propagation provide valuable performance in the nursery phase.

XV International Citrus Congress

G. Las Casas, S. Camuglia, B. Torrisi, D. Costantino, M. Caruso, G. Licciardello, C. Licciardello, A.F. Catara, C. Oliveri, S. Gulisano, M. Russo, E. Nicolosi, F. Ferlito

Tarocco sweet orange, Carrizo citrange, C-35, propagation, biomass allocation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2026.1448.101