GISELA^® CHERRY ROOTSTOCKS COMPARED FOR VIRUS TOLERANCE AND FIELD PERFORMANCE

In intensive commercial sweet cherry (Prunus avium) production in Europe, the dwarfing rootstock GiSelA^® 5 (P. cerasus × P. canescens) is a widely accepted standard. GiSelA® 5, as well as GiSelA^® 3 and GiSelA^® 6 (both P. cerasus × P. canescens) as more and less dwarfing rootstocks, were investigated for tolerance to pollen-borne viruses and for field performance.
From former studies with 1-year-old liners and from three-year studies with grafted rootstocks, it was concluded that the impact of virus infection was restricted to the shock phase of the disease, and that there was more virus tolerance in grafted trees compared to the ungrafted rootstocks which suffered much stronger virus pressure.
GiSelA^® 3 proved to be somewhat sensitive in juvenile growth, but later was as tolerant as GiSelA^® 5 and GiSelA^® 6. In three years of field evaluation in an intensively managed orchard established on rich soil and well-supplied with water by drip irrigation, performance of ‘Kordia’ and ‘Regina’ sweet cherry on three GiSelA^® clones was similar.
Only in the third year after planting was there a tendency of less growth and better yield efficiency of ‘Regina’ on GiSelA^® 3, especially compared to GiSelA^® 6.

IX International Symposium on Integrating Canopy, Rootstock and Environmental Physiology in Orchard Systems

C. Lankes

Prunus avium, GiSelA^® 3, GiSelA^® 5, GiSelA^® 6, cherry rootstocks, virus tolerance, performance, vegetative growth, yield, fruit quality

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.903.72