‘GARLA’ – A NEW PROMISING ROOTSTOCK FOR PLUMS

The aim of this study was an assessment of ‘Garla’ – a newly selected, semi-dwarf plum rootstock.
Vegetative growth, bearing potential and health status of four cultivars [‘Herman’, ‘Oullins Golden Gage’, ‘Early Prune’ and ‘Common Prune’] grafted on three seedling rootstocks [Myrobalan, ‘Wangenheim Prune’ and ‘Garla’] was investigated.
Tree vigour, expressed as trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) measured at the end of the fifth growing season was significantly affected both by rootstock and cultivar.
In comparison to Myrobalan seedling (used as a control rootstock), ‘Garla’ and ‘Wangenheim Prune’ significantly decreased TCSA of examined cultivars.
However, the dwarfing effect of ‘Garla’ rootstock was not as evident as in ‘Wangenheim Prune’. ‘Garla’ increased flower number, but it did not result in better cropping.
There were no differences in total yield between different rootstocks, although calculation of crop efficiency index (kg/cm²) showed that trees grafted on ‘Garla’ and ‘Wangenheim Prune’ rootstocks were more productive than Myrobalan.
However, there were no differences in crop efficiency index among rootstocks with the cv. ‘Common Prune’. ‘Garla’ had a beneficial overall effect on health status of investigated trees.
When leaf PPV symptoms were compared, trees grafted on this rootstock had the lightest disease symptoms.
The reverse was true for ‘Wangenheim Prune’.

VIII International Symposium on Canopy, Rootstocks and Environmental Physiology in Orchard Systems

M. Gąstoł, W. Poniedziałek

growth, yielding, productivity, PPV virus

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.732.37