EFFECT OF FOUR DIFFERENT ROOTSTOCKS ON THE GROWTH, YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY OF ‘VALOR’ PLUM TREES

Growth, yield and fruit quality of ‘Valor’ plum trees grafted on P. cerasifera var. divaricata and ‘Wangenheim Prune’ seedlings and on the clonal rootstocks – ‘GF 655/2’ and ‘Eruni’, were evaluated in a drip irrigated orchard in 1994-2003. The trees were planted on grey-brown podzolic soil at a spacing of 4.5 x 3 m in the Experimental Orchard, at Dabrowice (in central Poland). The rootstocks modified the growth, yield and productivity of ‘Valor’ trees, but they did not influence their fruit quality.
Trees on P. divaricata seedlings grew most vigorously while those grafted on ‘Wangenheim Prune’ demonstrated the lowest vigour.
No significant differences between the two clonal rootstocks, ‘GF 655/2’ and ‘Eruni’, were found in the vigour of ten-year-old-trees.
The highest cumulative yield per tree was obtained from trees grafted on P. divaricata seedlings and the lowest from those on ‘Wangenheim Prune’ seedlings.
However, trees on ‘Wangenheim Prune’ seedlings had the highest index of productivity.
Fruit weight and soluble solids content in fruits of ‘Valor’ plum trees in this experiment were not affected by rootstock types.
Root suckers were negligible in this trial and in this respect there were no significant differences among rootstocks.

VIII International Symposium on Plum and Prune Genetics, Breeding and Pomology

M. Sitarek, Z.S. Grzyb, B. Koziński

plum, rootstocks, growth, yield, fruit quality

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.734.62