GROWTH, YIELD AND TREE CONDITION OF A FIFTEEN YEAR-OLD SEMI INTENSIVE SWEET CHERRY ORCHARD

The cherry rootstock trial was established in 1989 with ‘Van’ and ‘Germersdorfi óriás’ cultivars on the following rootstocks: mahaleb ‘Sainte Lucie 64’, ‘Colt’, Mahaleb × Mazzard hybrids: ‘MxM 14’ and ‘MxM 97’. Tree size and yield were measured every year and the cumulative yield efficiency was calculated.
The tree condition was estimated twice during the trial in 1999 (condition of foliage, ratio of blind wood, fruit size, number of over-aged branches) and in 2004 (incidence of gummosis as symptoms of bacterial canker infection). Based upon the results, mahaleb cherry ‘SL 64’ is a vigorous rootstock with good compatibility and productivity.
In comparison to ‘SL 64’, the trunk cross-sectional area of ‘Colt’ was 10-15% smaller.
Trees grafted on MxM hybrids exhibited a 30-40% reduction in trunk cross-sectional area and tree size.
Both sweet cherry cultivars responded similarly on the different rootstocks.
Cumulative yield efficiency on both cultivars was highest on rootstock ‘MxM 14’. Zahn’s corrective pruning was applied on bearing Modified Brunner-spindle cherry trees in summer.
In 1999 – five years after starting intensive Zahn’s summer pruning – gummosis and other pathological problems were not observed on trees.
Fifteen years after planting, some gummosis was found mainly on the stubs caused by bacterial canker infection after summer pruning.

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

G. Simon, K. Hrotkó, L. Magyar

Colt, growth vigour, Mahaleb SL 64, MxM 14, MxM 97, modified Brunner-spindle, spacing, summer pruning, training, tree size, varieties, yield efficiency

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.732.52