TRIAL ON THE MAXIMUM LIMIT OF APRICOT PLANTING DENSITY

An experimental orchard of ‘San Castrese’ grafted on myrobalan was established in 1981 in the Tuscan coastal area.
Three training systems were used: two (free spindle and Tatura) with a spacing of 4.5 m (between rows) x 1–1.50–2.00 m (along the row); the other (open center) was planted at 2 m (between rows) x 1–1.50–2.00 m and at 1.50 m (between rows) x 0.75–1–1.50 m.

Twelve different treatments, with density ranging from 1 110 to 8 888 trees/ha, were thus obtained.
After the first year of cropping the trees were subjected to four different summer pruning practices.

The variety ‘San Castrese’ started to produce in the second year of growing and was constantly productive also in the third and fourth years too.
The closest spacing did not always produce the highest yield/ha, nor did it reduce the tree vigour.
Pruning techniques often contributed to a good yield in less densely planted plots.

VIII International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline

R. Guerriero, G. Scalabrelli, M. Franceschini

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1986.192.16