GROWING PERIOD OF ROOTS IN CHERIMOYA TREES (ANNONA CHERIMOLA MILL.) IN THE NORTH OF CHILE

The study of the growth period of the root system is important in order to understand the dynamic of water and nutrient use by fruit trees.
Due to technical difficulties, little information exists about the root system of cherimoya in field conditions.
This study was carried out over four seasons in order to observe the root growth habit of cherimoya over a prolonged period of time, and the relation to shoot growth, fruit development and soil temperature.
Root development was determined by means of the rhizotron or observation chamber technique.
The observation windows were made of eight millimeter thick glass.
A network of vertical and horizontal lines was printed over the glass in a way that the intersection of new roots with any of the lines could be used to estimate root growth.
Root development, shoot growth and soil temperature was recorded weekly.
Root growth was concentrated in the summer months (January — March), reaching a maximum during the phenological stage of end of flowering-fruit set.
A drastic reduction in root and shoot growth was recorded once fruit development accelerated.
Maximum growth of new roots was observed when soil temperature was greater than 20 °C.

First International Symposium on Cherimoya

A. Ibacache, N. Rojas, C. Jopia

temperature, soil, root system, rhizotron, growth

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.497.18