Topics:
- Results and Grower Protocols
- 2020: Protocols
- 2020: Field and fruit quality results from Rootstock – Crop load study
- 2020: Nectarine and peach rootstock and crop load results
- Introduction
- Virtual orchard tour
- Time series photos
Results
2020
Protocols - Rootstock performance in stonefruit
Researcher: Mark O'Connell, Agriculture Victoria, Tatura
- Rootstock selection at crop establishment governs tree performance and orchard production potential.
- Worldwide there are few rootstock breeding programs for stonefruit. In Australia, Nemaguard is the current industry standard rootstock for peach and nectarine.
- Scion vigour induced by rootstocks is an important criterion for orchard management and directly influences tree growth and development, precocity, yield and fruit quality. Other agronomic characteristics of rootstocks include adaptability to soil type (physical properties, pH) and tolerance/resistance to abiotic (drought, heat, salinity, waterlogging) and biotic (nematode, virus, bacterial, fungal) stress.
- Research at Tatura into rootstocks for peach and nectarine using dwarfing, semi-dwarfing and high vigour stocks found rootstock-induced vigour effects on tree growth and development, yield and fruit quality.
Protocol Download PDF in new window (Note: this document does not meet WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines)
Table 2. Characteristics of rootstocks (from rootstock vigour types)
Rootstock | Pedigree (Country of origin) | Vigour | Anchorage | Soil conditions | Drought tolerance | Iron induced chlorosis | Crown Rot | Root knot Nematode | Root lesion nematode | Crown Gall | Oak root fungus | Bacterial canker |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nemaguard | Prunus persica x Prunus davidiana (USA) | High | Good | Sandy loam, sensitive to wet soil conditions and calcareous soils | Moderate | Susceptible | Susceptible | Resistant | Susceptible | Moderately susceptible | Susceptible | Susceptible |
Cornerstone | Prunus dulcis x Prunus persica (USA) | Very high | Excellent | Good in heavy soils, tolerant to saline and high pH soils | High | Resistant | Susceptible | Strong resistance | Susceptible | Moderate resistance | Unknown | Susceptible |
Cadaman | Prunus persica x Prunus davidiana (France, Hungary) | High | Good | Sandy loam, tolerant to alkaline soils and wet conditions | Unknown | Tolerant | Unknown | Resistant | Susceptible | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
Krymsk® 1 | Prunus tomentosa x Prunus cerasifera (Russia) | Dwarfing | Good | Sandy loam, tolerant to alkaline soils and wet conditions | Unknown | Unknown | Susceptible | Susceptible | Tolerant | Susceptible | Unknown | Susceptible |
Krymsk® 86 | Prunus persica x Prunus cerasifera (Russia) | Semi-vigorous | Good | Tolerant to alkaline soils and wet conditions | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Moderately susceptible | Moderate tolerance | Moderate resistance | Tolerant | Unknown |
Elberta | Prunus persica (USA) | High | Good | Unknown | Unknown | Susceptible | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
2020
Field and fruit quality results from Rootstock – Crop load study
Production results (yield, fruit quality) in response to rootstock and crop load (high, medium, low) treatments under a vase canopy system at Tatura, Victoria.
2020
Nectarine and peach rootstock and crop load results
Science paper: Effect of rootstock and cropload management on yield and fruit quality of early-season nectarine 'Rose Bright' and late-season peach 'September Sun'.
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- Vase training system with croploads - high: minimally thinned; medium: commercial standard / moderately thinned; low: heavily thinned
- Crop load and rootstock did not affect flowering date.
- Irrespective of cultivar, low crop load produced larger fruit and advanced maturity.
- ‘Krymsk® 86’ produced smaller tree size measured as canopy radiation interception (fPAR) for both cultivars.
- For nectarine, high crop load produced high yields, low fruit weight, reduced sweetness (°Brix), delayed maturity, increased firmness and lower pack-out percentage. Krymsk® 86 outperformed Elberta rootstock in terms of fruit size, red skin coloration and pack-out.
- For peach, highest yield occurred on Cornerstone trees compared to Elberta. This yield difference was reflected in yield components (fruit number, fruit size), and attributed to the capacity of available fruiting wood and photosynthetic capability governed by tree size (fPAR and branch size).
- See science paper for more results.
Introduction
The peach (cv. September Sun) and nectarine (cv. Rose Bright) rootstock experiments are investigating the impact of three crop loads (high, medium and low) across 5 different rootstocks examining effects on yield, distribution of sugars (brix content), maturity and fruit quality.
Dr Mark O'Connell introduces the peach and nectarine root stock experiment at the Field Laboratory in Tatura, Victoria
Virtual Orchard Tour - A look at tree structures in the rootstock experiments
February 2020 - Fruit on Peach September Sun
Time series videos
Every few weeks photos were taken of each experiment, and produced into a video to show the resulting growth of tree canopies and fruit development.
Time series videos experiments 1 and 2
About Experiment 1
- Peach cv. September Sun
- Planted winter 2013
- Treatments: Rootstock (Nemaguard, Elberta, Krymsk86, Cadaman, Cornerstone) x Crop Load (high, medium, low)
- Vase tree training
- 1111 trees/ha
About Experiment 2
- Nectarine cv. Rose Bright
- Planted winter 2013
- Treatments: Rootstock (Nemaguard, Elberta, Krymsk86, Krymsk1, Cornerstone) x Crop Load (high, medium, low)
- Vase tree training
- 1111 trees/ha
Project acknowledgement
This research (SF13001 Rootstock and training system to optimize stone fruit bearing and growth; SF17006 Summerfruit Orchard Phase 2) was funded by Agriculture Victoria with co-investment from Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the Summerfruit levy and funds from the Australian Government.