Propagation of apple, pear, plum, and sweet cherry in a hot water system during the dormant period

The fruit species apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), pear (Pyrus communis L.), plum (Prunus domestica L.), and sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) are heterozygous, and their propagation by seeds does not lead to inheritance of the characteristics of the mother plants.
For this reason, various techniques and methods have been used worldwide for vegetative propagation of the fruit mentioned above species, respectively, cultivars, the most popular of which are budding and grafting.
The experiment for the propagation of apple, pear, plum, and sweet cherry was done by the method of hot callus with a hot water system.
The ‘Whip-and-tongue’ grafting technique was done in the first ten days of February, i.e., when the fruit species were in winter dormancy.
Successfully grafted plants were potted and then adapted for one month.
The apple, pear, and plum fruit species obtained more callus-forming, adapted, and fruit-planting material than the cherry.
The obtained experimental results give ground to conclude that using a hot water system during the winter dormancy of the fruit species apple, pear, and plum leads to their successful propagation.
The percentage of callus-formed, adapted and produced trees is low in sweet cherry.
For this reason, the method is not recommended for practice.

V Balkan Symposium on Fruit Growing

S. Gandev, P. Ivanov, A. Dimitrov, P. Filyova

fruit tree, hot callus, grafting, planting material, whip-and-tongue

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2026.1449.23