Articles
THE VERTICAL AXIS SYSTEM IN NORTH AMERICA
Article number
513_35
Pages
297 – 302
Language
Abstract
The trend in today’s apple orchards in North America is towards higher tree densities grown on dwarfing rootstocks.
The combination of higher density and greater yields in the formative years gives growers greater returns, earlier in the life of an orchard.
Growers in North America struggle with the dilemma of converting their operation from low-density to high-density because they must assume increased financial risk with greater initial investment in labor and materials.
The widely varying soil and climatic conditions of the fruit growing areas of the United States and Canada have resulted in serious problems with the adaptability of the rootstocks currently available to the fruit industry.
A management system, rootstock and scion cultivar trial was established in 1990 at 11 sites in North America for the purpose of studying the interactions between these factors.
One site, established in Michigan, has demonstrated that the Vertical Axis system is extremely efficient in production and in economic productivity in comparison to the Slender Spindle and the conventional Central Leader system.
In this trial, data has been collected on such biological parameters as yield, cropping efficiency and vigor.
Additionally, the time to conduct various management practices such as pruning, training, thinning (hand) and harvest, has demonstrated that trees in the Vertical Axis system on M.9 EMLA rootstock are extremely productive and labor saving.
Commercial fruit growers in North America have reviewed this data and production data from other trials and determined that the Vertical Axis is one of the best systems to adopt in orchards.
Previous research has indicated that productivity is directly related to plant density.
However, in the Michigan planting, the taller Vertical Axis system compensated for a lack of plant density, in comparison to Slender Spindle, and demonstrated its superior canopy volume and productivity.
Commercial growers are largely adapting many of the protocols of this system for their orchards.
The combination of higher density and greater yields in the formative years gives growers greater returns, earlier in the life of an orchard.
Growers in North America struggle with the dilemma of converting their operation from low-density to high-density because they must assume increased financial risk with greater initial investment in labor and materials.
The widely varying soil and climatic conditions of the fruit growing areas of the United States and Canada have resulted in serious problems with the adaptability of the rootstocks currently available to the fruit industry.
A management system, rootstock and scion cultivar trial was established in 1990 at 11 sites in North America for the purpose of studying the interactions between these factors.
One site, established in Michigan, has demonstrated that the Vertical Axis system is extremely efficient in production and in economic productivity in comparison to the Slender Spindle and the conventional Central Leader system.
In this trial, data has been collected on such biological parameters as yield, cropping efficiency and vigor.
Additionally, the time to conduct various management practices such as pruning, training, thinning (hand) and harvest, has demonstrated that trees in the Vertical Axis system on M.9 EMLA rootstock are extremely productive and labor saving.
Commercial fruit growers in North America have reviewed this data and production data from other trials and determined that the Vertical Axis is one of the best systems to adopt in orchards.
Previous research has indicated that productivity is directly related to plant density.
However, in the Michigan planting, the taller Vertical Axis system compensated for a lack of plant density, in comparison to Slender Spindle, and demonstrated its superior canopy volume and productivity.
Commercial growers are largely adapting many of the protocols of this system for their orchards.
Authors
R.L. Perry
Keywords
Apple, fruit quality, Malus domestica, orchard system, pruning, labor efficiency, yield efficiency
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