SCIENTIFIC WORKS OF THE LITHUANIAN INSTITUTE OF
HORTICULTURE AND LITHUANIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE.
SODININKYSTË IR DARÞININKYSTË. 2006. 25(3). 51–56.
IMPACT OF ROOTSTOCKS ON COLUMNAR APPLE
TREE GROWTH IN A NURSERY
Dalia GELVONAUSKIENË, Bronislovas GELVONAUSKIS,
Audrius SASNAUSKAS
Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture, LT-54333 Babtai, Kaunas distr.,
Lithuania. E-mail: [email protected]
There were investigated 24 columnar apple selections and 2 cultivars ‘Arbat’ and
‘Ostankino’ in a nursery at the Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture. The two latter cultivars
and selections M38-35, M38-33, M38-2, M38-15, No. 376-100 and No. 385-380 were released
in Russia and 16 hybrids (No. 23733, No. 23753, No. 24217, No. 24218, No. 24219, No.
24220, No. 24271, No. 24583, No. 24599, No. 24637, No. 24690, No. 25134, No. 26075, No.
26094 No. 26148, No. 26325) – at the Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture. Cultivars and
selections were budded on rootstocks P 60, B.396, M.26, MM.106, B.118 and ‘Antonovka’
seedlings at the height of 10–12 cm above soil and 7–10 trees were used for evaluation.
Apple trees were spaced at 0.25 x 0.9 m. Tree height and stem diameter were measured and
number of shoots were calculated in the first and second year in the nursery.
Significant differences of rootstock impact to tree height, stem diameter and shoot
number were determined. The smallest trees were on rootstocks P 60 and B.396. Apple tree
stem diameter on rootstocks B.118 and MM. 106 were the largest. The highest number of
shoots was measured on trees grown on rootstocks M.26, MM.106 and B.118. Six selections
did not raise shoots on any used rootstock.
Key words: lateral branches, rootstocks, tree height, trunk diameter.
Introduction. A columnar apple tree growth habit for the first time was described
by Lapins (1969, 1976) in Canada. The obtained results showed that this trait is
controlled by a single dominant gene, Co (Lapins, 1969, 1976). Nowadays donors of
Co gene are involved in an apple breeding programs in Russia, Latvia, Belgium,
Great Britain, USA, Bulgaria and other countries (Êè÷èíà, 1988; Drudze, 2000;
Meulenbroek et al., 1999; Tobutt, 1985; Kelsey and Brown, 1992; Djouvinov, 1994).
Donors of columnar growth habit were involved in crosses at the Lithuanian Institute
of Horticulture in 1988.
It was determined that tree height, trunk diameter, number of shoots and other
tree characteristics depend on rootstock (Inomata et al., 2003, 2005). Rootstocks
influence apple tree productivity, fruit weight and firmness (Lauri and Lespinasse,
1993; Lauri, et al., 1995; Kvilys, 2002; Inomata et al., 2003, 2005). Results obtained
by researchers in France and Japan showed that apple trees with common habitus
are more productive and biennial bearing is not so evident than it is typical for trees
with columnar type habitus.
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Materials and methods. There were investigated 24 advanced selections and 2
columnar-type apple cultivars ‘Arbat’ and ‘Ostankino’ at nursery of the Lithuanian
Institute of Horticulture. Latter two cultivars and selections M38-35, M38-33,
M38-2, M38-15, No. 376-100 and No. 385-380 were received in Russia and the rest
16 selections (No. 23733, No. 23753, No. 24217, No. 24218, No. 24219, No. 24220,
No. 24271, No. 24583, No. 24599, No. 24637, No. 24690, No. 25134, No. 26075,
No. 26094, No. 26148, No. 26325) were received at the Lithuanian Institute of
Horticulture. ‘Arbat’ was used as a donor of columnar growth habit. Columnar apple
cultivars and selections were grafted on rootstocks P 60, B.396, M.26, MM.106,
B.118 and Antonovka seedlings. Trees were planted at the spacing of 25 x 90 cm in a
nursery. There were evaluated 7–10 plants per cultivar or selection in the nursery. Tree
height, trunk diameter and shoot (length more than 3 cm) number was evaluated in the
first and second year of tree growth. Trees were fertilized and sprayed with pesticides
according to the technology applied at the Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture.
Results. Average height of trees of 26 apple cultivars and selections on different
rootstocks varied from 66 cm to 76 cm at the end of the first year (Fig.). The
highest trees were on rootstocks ‘Antonovka’ seedlings and B.118. Trees were
significantly lower on rootstocks B.396 and P 60 than it was measured on previous
two rootstocks. Two years old apple trees grafted on ‘Antonovka’ seedlings were
significantly higher than on trees grafted on dwarf rootstocks. The lowest trees
were on rootstocks B.396 and P 60.
F i g. Impact of different rootstocks on average tree height of 26 apple cultivars and
selections
P a v.
Ávairiø poskiepiø átaka 26 koloniniø obelø veisliø ir selekciniø numeriø medeliø
vidutiniam aukðèiui
PA – ‘Antonovka’ seedlings / PA – ‘Paprastojo antaninio’ sëjinukai.
Tree height, trunk diameter and shoot number of apple cultivars and selections
trees with columnar type habit on six rootstocks is presented in Table 1. Significant
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differences were estimated between cultivars and selections for above noted traits.
The height of two-year-old trees of eight selections was 100 cm or less. It varied
from 88 cm to 100 cm.
T a b l e 1. Mean value of traits of apple cultivars and selection trees
on six rootstocks
1
l e n t e l ë. Obelø veisliø ir selekciniø numeriø sodinukø, augintø su ðeðiais
poskiepiais, vidutiniai augimo rodikliai
Cultivar
Veislë, selekcinis numeris
Height / Aukštis, cm
Trunk diameter
Shoot number
Kamieno skersmuo, mm
Ðakø skaièius
2000
2001
2001
2001
M38-35
57
88
11
0.6
No. 0833
59
90
11
1
No. 24220
49
93
12
0
M38-33
51
93
12
0
No. 24583
61
94
12
0
No. 0749
52
96
13
0
M38-2
62
96
10
1.4
M38-15
52
100
11
0
‘Ostankino’
72
112
12
0.3
No. 24271
56
115
12
0
No. 376-100
59
117
12
3.5
No. 385-380
71
122
12
0.1
No. 24599
69
125
12
0.3
No. 26148
64
126
11
0.7
No. 25134
79
139
12
1.8
No. 24637
74
143
11
1.2
‘Arbat’
67
147
12
1
No. 24218
73
147
13
0.2
No. 24217
83
151
10
1.4
No. 26325
87
151
11
2.4
No. 24690
83
156
11
0.9
No. 26075
88
162
11
4.8
No. 24219
84
176
11
1.9
No. 23733
99
178
10
0.9
No. 23753
103
181
11
1.2
No. 26094
98
187
12
1.2
LSD05 / R05
18.2
31.7
0.8
1.1
53
The average tree height of 8 selections was higher than 150 cm and varied from
151 cm to 187 cm. Trunk diameter of cultivars and most selections was 11–12 mm.
The highest diameter (13 mm) was detected for No. 0749 and No. 24218, the lowest
(10 mm) – for M38-2, No. 24217 and No. 23733. The highest trunk diameter of
trees of investigated cultivars and selections was determined on rootstocks B.118
and MM.106, 13 mm and 12 mm, respectively (Table 2). The average shoot number
per tree depends on genotype, because 6 selections grafted on Antonovka seedlings
and 5 dwarf rootstocks did not have shoots (Table 1). Other selections and two
cultivars grew shoots and its number varied from 0.1 to 4.8. The significantly highest
shoot number was calculated for selections No. 26075 (4.8) and No. 376-100 (3.5).
On the other hand, shoot number was influenced by rootstock as well (Table 2).
Apple cultivars and selections had the highest shoot number (1.8) on rootstock M
26. The lowest shoot number (0.4) was estimated on apple trees grafted on rootstock
B.396.
T a b l e 2. Impact of rootstocks on mean value of traits of apple
cultivars and selection trees
2
l e n t e l ë.
Poskiepio átaka obelø veisliø ir selekciniø numeriø sodinukø
vidutiniams augimo rodikliams 2001 m.
Trait / Požymis
Trunk diameter / Kamieno
Rootstock / Poskiepis
LSD05 / R05
PA*
B.118
MM.106
M.26
B.396
P 60
11
13
12
11
11
11
0,8
0,7
1,4
1,4
1,8
0,4
0,6
0,6
skersmuo, mm
Shoot number / Ðakø skaièius
* ‘Antonovka ’ seedlings / ‘Paprastojo antaninio’ sëjinukai
Discussion. Two-year-old apple trees height on dwarf rootstocks B.396 and
P 60 were 30% lower than it was estimated for trees grafted on Antonovka seedlings.
Differences of one-year-old trees grafted on above mentioned rootstocks were about
15%. Our results and results of Chinese researches (Dai Hong Yi et al., 1998) shows
that dwarf rootstocks are efficient tool to control the height and shoot number of
columnar type apple trees. The average height of smallest selections of two-year-old
columnar apple trees on six rootstocks was 2.1 times lower than it was measured
for strong grown selections (Table 2). Our results show that height of columnar
type apple trees is influenced by rootstock. Trunk diameter is influenced by rootstock
as well. The part of investigated selections did not develop shoots and used rootstocks
did not influence expression of this trait. A tendency of dwarf cultivars or selections
to have low number of shoots was emphasized (Table 1). It is shown by other
researches that apple tree height and columnar type trees as well and shoot number
is determined genetically (Decourtye, 1967; De Wit et al., 2004; Kenis and Keulemans,
2004).
Conclusions. 1. Rootstocks influence the growth and trunk diameter of columnar
type apple trees. The highest apple trees were recorded on rootstock Antonovka
seedlings and the highest trunk diameter – on rootstocks B.118 and MM.106.
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2. Shoots were not detected on trees of six selections (M38-33, M38-15, No.
24220, No. 24583, No. 24271, No. 0749) grafted on five dwarf rootstocks and
Antonovka seedlings. The highest number of shoots was estimated for trees grafted
on rootstocks M.26, MM.106 and B.118.
Gauta
2006 07 04
Parengta spausdinti
2006 07 31
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SODININKYSTË IR DARÞININKYSTË. MOKSLO DARBAI. 2006. 25(3). 51–56.
POSKIEPIØ ÁTAKA KOLONINIØ OBELØ SODINUKØ AUGUMUI MEDELYNE
D. Gelvonauskienë, B. Gelvonauskis, A. Sasnauskas
Santrauka
Lietuvos sodininkystës ir darþininkystës instituto medelyne tirti 24 selekciniai numeriai
ir 2 koloninio tipo obelø veislës – ‘Arbat‘ ir ‘Ostankino‘. Pastarosios veislës ir selekciniai
numeriai M38-35, M38-33, M38-2, M38-15, Nr. 376-100 ir Nr. 385-380 sukurti Rusijoje, 16
kitø selekciniø numeriø (Nr. 23733, Nr. 23753, Nr. 24217, Nr. 24218, Nr. 24219, Nr. 24220,
Nr. 24271, Nr. 24583, Nr. 24599, Nr.2 4637, Nr. 24690, Nr. 25134, Nr. 26075, Nr. 26094 Nr. 26148,
Nr. 26325) sukurta Lietuvos sodininkystës ir darþininkystës institute. Kuriant pastaruosius
hibridus, kaip tëvinë forma panaudota ’Arbat‘ veislë, kuri yra koloninës vaismedþiø formos
donorë. Buvo tirta po 7–10 medeliø, áakiuotø á poskiepius P 60, B.396, M.26, MM.106,
B.118 ir Paprastojo antaninio sëjinukus 10–12 cm aukðtyje. Medeliai auginti 0,25 x 0,9 m
atstumais. Pirmaisiais ir antraisiais augimo medelyne metais matuotas augalø aukðtis ir
kamieno skersmuo ir suskaièiuotos ðakos.
Nustatyta, kad poskiepiai ið esmës veikë koloniniø obelø veisliø ir selekciniø numeriø
sodinukø aukðtá, kamieno skersmená ir ðoniniø ðakø skaièiø. Þemiausi buvo sodinukai su
P 60 ir B.396 poskiepiais, storiausi – su B.118 ir MM.106 poskiepiais. Daugiausia ðakø
iðaugino sodinukai su poskiepiais M. 26, MM.106 ir B.118. Ið tirtø 2 veisliø ir 24 selekciniø
numeriø 6 selekciniø numeriø vaismedþiai ðoniniø ðakø neiðaugino në su vienu poskiepiu.
Reikðminiai þodþiai: ðoninës ðakos, poskiepiai, vaismedþiai, aukðtis, kamieno
skersmuo.
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