0000000000324156
AUTHOR
M. Policarpo
Drought tolerance of clonal Malus determined from measurements of stomatal conductance and leaf water potential.
We examined tolerance to soil drying in clonally propagated apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) rootstocks used to control shoot growth of grafted scions. We measured leaf conductance to water vapor (g(L)) and leaf water potential (Psi(L)) in a range of potted, greenhouse-grown rootstocks (M9, M26, M27, MM111, AR69-7, AR295-6, AR360-19, AR486-1 and AR628-2) as the water supply was gradually reduced. Irrespective of the amount of available water, rootstocks that promoted scion shoot growth (M26 and MM111) generally had higher g(L) and more negative Psi(L) than rootstocks that restricted scion shoot growth (M27 and M9). After about 37 days of reduced water supply, there were significant decreases …
Effects of rootstock vigour and in-row spacing on stem and root growth, conformation and dry-matter distribution of young apple trees
The effects of M.9 and MM.106 rootstocks and in-row spacing (0.4, 0.7, and 1 m) on the vegetative behaviour of three-year-old apple (Malus domestica Borkh) trees were studied. Analysis of digital i...
Vegetative and productive responses of ‘Conference’ and ‘Williams’ pear trees planted at different in-row spacings
Abstract The effect of in-row spacing on the vegetative and productive performance of 4-year-old ‘Conference’ (CON) and ‘Williams’ (WIL) pear trees was studied. Analysis of digital images was used to estimate canopy growth and conformation. Fruit quality was determined by measuring fruit weight, flesh firmness, peel color, soluble solid content, and titratable acidity. WIL produced more and more efficiently than CON, especially at closer spacings. WIL canopies were generally bigger than CON canopies, and reduced spacing penalized stem growth and influenced canopy conformation. Root growth and conformation was similar for both cultivars, whereas decreasing in-row spacing reduced root dry wei…
Dynamics of dry matter partitioning in young ‘Nocellara del Belice’ olive trees
Dry matter partitioning of ‘Nocellara del Belice’ olive (Olea europaea L.) trees was assessed during one growing season. Four three-year-old potted trees from rooted cuttings trained to single-trunk free-canopy were destructively harvested at 30-day intervals during the growing season. The average dry matter increase was about 2 kg · year-1 per tree. Total plant dry weight increased linearly over the year, whereas root to shoot ratio followed a quadratic trend with its peak during winter. Dry matter of all canopy parts (trunk, branches, 1-year-old shoots, and leaves) increased linearly and leaves exhibited the fastest growth. Also fine roots accumulated dry matter over the year in a linear …
Vegetative and reproductive behavior of 'conference' and 'williams' pear trees trained to v-shape system
V-shape systems represent an efficient and popular option to increase yields and fruit quality. Here we present a detailed study on canopy and root system growth and conformation, yields, fruit quality and dry matter partitioning of 'Conference' (C) and 'Williams' (W) pear trees trained to V-shape system. Digital images were used to determine total stem and root length, mean diameter and surface area; canopy and root system spread area, shape index and volume, canopy height and root depth. Dry weights were used to calculate dry matter partitioning. Stems of W trees were longer and thinner than those of C, which resulted in similar stem dry weights for the two cultivars, whereas root dry wei…
Foliar fertilization in ‘Nocellara del Belice’ olive trees
Eight-year-old olive trees of ‘Nocellara del Belice’ grown in central Sicily were treated with five different types/combinations of organic and mineral foliar fertilizers. Floral 20-20-20 (mineral N, P, K, and microelements; FLO), Alga (extract of brown algae; ALG), FLO+ALG, Azomin (organic N, amino acids and peptides; AZO), Supernat93 (organic N and K, distillation residue; SUP), and water (CONTROL) were applied four times during summer and fall 2002. Yield and trunk circumference were measured during fall 2002, whereas other vegetative and reproductive parameters were measured during spring-fall 2003. AZO and SUP trees produced more than CONTROL and ALG ones, whereas only AZO trees showed…