ELEVEN-YEAR EVALUATION OF THE GISELA AND WEIROOT SERIES OF CHERRY ROOTSTOCKS IN BULGARIA

From 1997-2007, the influence of three Gisela cherry rootstocks (5, 4, 12, and 497/8), five Weiroot cherry rootstocks (10, 13, 53, 72, and 158) and P 1 (seedling of P. mahaleb L.) on the growth and fruiting of ‘Bigarreau Burlat’ sweet cherry was studied.
The trees were planted in December 1996 in the experimental field of the Agricultural University in the town of Plovdiv, Bulgaria at distances of 6.0×4.5 m and were grown with flood irrigation.
By the end of the 11th season the most vigorous growth was with P 1, Weiroot 10 and Weiroot 13, the differences between them being insignificant.
The trees on the remaining rootstocks (in comparison with the crown volume on P 1) have the following growth vigour: Gisela 4 – 39%, Gi-497/8 – 36%, Gisela 12, Weiroot 158, Weiroot 53 and Weiroot 72 – 34% each and Gisela 5 – 19%. Weiroot 13 and Weiroot 10 had the greatest tendency to sucker, whereas Gisela 4, Weiroot 53, Weiroot 72 and Weiroot 158 were characterized intermediate in sucker ability, and P 1, Gisela 5, Gisela 12 and Gi-497/8 did not form suckers.
From 1999-2007 the highest yield of the trees (expressed as kg/cm2, kg/m2, of kg/m3) was with Gisela 12, Gisela 4 and Gisela 5, while the lowest yield was with P 1, Weiroot 13 and Gi-497/8, whereas the remaining rootstocks had intermediate yield.
There was no significant effect of rootstock on fruit size.
Trees on Weiroot 53, Weiroot 72 and Gisela 5 have poor soil anchorage – about 50-60% of them were significantly tilted and some of them even fallen.
During the last 3 seasons the trees on Gisela 5, Gisela 4, Gisela 12, Gi-497/8, Weiroot 53, Weiroot 72 and Weiroot 158 appear to have been exhausted since their mean annual shoot length was under 20 cm.
Gisela 12 gave the best overall results.

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

V. Lichev, A. Papachatzis

Prunus avium, growth, suckering, yield, fruit mass, fruit load, soil anchorage

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.903.73