THE EFFECT OF ROOTSTOCK AND ANGLE OF SHOOT POSITIONING ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND NUTRIENT CONTENT OF D’ANJOU PEARS

Yield differences between Old Home x Farmingdale rootstocks were greater where the main scaffolds were trained at 15° above horizontal as compared to trees where the scaffolds were trained at 45° above horizontal.
Ten-year cumulative production was generally 35 to 48 t/ha higher where the trees were trained to the flatter angle.
Notable exceptions were with OHxF 333 rootstocks where cumulative yield was not affected and Seedling Bartlett rootstocks where the cumulative yield was reduced by 27 t/ha when the trees were trained to the flatter angle.
Fruit weight was generally not affected by the angle of limb positioning and was not related to yields.
Trees on OHxF 97 rootstocks generally produced the largest fruits.
When averaged over the nutrients examined, fruit from trees on seedling Bartlett, OHxF 40, and OHxF 333 had higher peel nutrient contents when positioned at the more upright angle.
Fruit from trees on OHxF 51 and OHxF 69 had no positioning preference.
The remainder had higher nutrient contents if the shoots were positioned at the more upright angle.
Positioning shoots at the more upright angle generally resulted in greater leaf nutrient content.
Only leaves from trees positioned at the flatter angles had greater levels of magnesium.
When averaged across nutrients, leaves from trees positioned at the more upright angle had higher leaf mineral contents.
However, leaves from trees on OHxF 69 and OHxF 333 had higher leaf nutrient levels when positioned at the flatter angle.

VII International Symposium on Pear Growing

E.A. Mielke

Pyrus communis, fruit quality, storage potential, Old Home x Farmingdale

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1998.475.18