Articles
DEVELOPMENTS IN DUTCH APPLE PLANTINGS
Article number
513_31
Pages
261 – 270
Language
Abstract
Currently, Dutch fruit growers plant apple orchards mainly in single rows, using thin slender spindle trees.
Planting distances vary from 3.0 x 0.75 to 3.0 x 1.25 m.
Optimal economic planting density is between 3,000 and 6,000 trees per ha.
Growers demand well-feathered trees with the lowest side branch at about 80 cm above soil level, branch length preferably not longer than 50 cm and a thin central leader with flower buds.
Two-year-old interstem trees and ‘knip’ trees (two-year-old trees with one-year-old top with sylleptic feathers) are preferred.
Early fruiting is used to let the branches bend down preventing them from growing into neighboring trees.
Tree height is about 2.25m which is about 0.25m higher than 8–10 years ago.
The prevailing rootstock is M.9-T.337, although other clones of M.9 such as the more dwarfing M.9-F1.56 are becoming more important.
Standard rootstock-shank length is 15 cm, but 25–35 cm is preferred when more growth reduction is pursued.
A long interstem (30 cm or longer) of Summerred is also being used for additional growth reduction.
On vigorous soils, trees are planted on top of the soil surface and ridged up soon afterwards.
This is due to higher average yield capacity, higher picking output and less tree management cost.
Growing a Super Spindle system is especially interesting, when moving into an economic friendly market situation with a new high priced variety, using non skilled labour, well sized and not biennial bearing susceptible varieties and dwarf rootstocks.
Planting distances vary from 3.0 x 0.75 to 3.0 x 1.25 m.
Optimal economic planting density is between 3,000 and 6,000 trees per ha.
Growers demand well-feathered trees with the lowest side branch at about 80 cm above soil level, branch length preferably not longer than 50 cm and a thin central leader with flower buds.
Two-year-old interstem trees and ‘knip’ trees (two-year-old trees with one-year-old top with sylleptic feathers) are preferred.
Early fruiting is used to let the branches bend down preventing them from growing into neighboring trees.
Tree height is about 2.25m which is about 0.25m higher than 8–10 years ago.
The prevailing rootstock is M.9-T.337, although other clones of M.9 such as the more dwarfing M.9-F1.56 are becoming more important.
Standard rootstock-shank length is 15 cm, but 25–35 cm is preferred when more growth reduction is pursued.
A long interstem (30 cm or longer) of Summerred is also being used for additional growth reduction.
On vigorous soils, trees are planted on top of the soil surface and ridged up soon afterwards.
This is due to higher average yield capacity, higher picking output and less tree management cost.
Growing a Super Spindle system is especially interesting, when moving into an economic friendly market situation with a new high priced variety, using non skilled labour, well sized and not biennial bearing susceptible varieties and dwarf rootstocks.
Authors
J.M.T. Balkhoven-Baart, P.S. Wagenmakers, J.H. Bootsma, M.J. Groot, S.J. Wertheim
Keywords
Apples Malus domestica, interstem, planting systems, pruning techniques’ economics, rootstock, tree quality, tree shape
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