| Characteristic | Detail | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rootstock | Antonovka 313 |
This is a non-dwarfing rootstock from Russia and produces a free-standing tree that is 100% standard size. Trees are slow coming into bearing and moderately productive, and trees may lean slightly in some situations. Although some nurseries advertise Antonovka 313 to be very cold hardy, it is usually considered moderately cold hardy and may be susceptible to late-winter cold. It is adapted to a wide range of soil conditions, and is reportedly resistant to |
Apple Rootstock Info: Alnarp 2
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Characteristic
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Detail
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Description
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|---|---|---|
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Alnarp 2
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Introduced by the Alnarp Fruit Tree Station, in Alnarp, in southern Sweden in 1944. Alnarp 2 was selected in 1920 from a group of mixed Doucin (dwarf) trees and it was brought to the US in 1949. This clonal rootstock propagates easily in the stool bed and produces a free-standing semi-vigorous tree 85 to 90% the size of seedling. Alnarp 2 is very cold tolerant and has been used as an understock for interstem |
Apple Rootstock Info: P.22
| Characteristic | Detail | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rootstock | P.22 |
Resulted from a cross of M.9 x Common Antonovka and released Research Institute of Poland in Skierniewice, Poland. This is a very dwarfing rootstock, producing trees similar in size to M.27. Trees have good winter hardiness, and produce few burr knots and rootsuckers. It is moderately susceptible to fire blight and very susceptible to woolly apple aphid, and has good resistance to crown and root rots. P.22 is very precocious, has higher yield efficiency than |
Apple Rootstock Info: P.18
| Characteristic | Detail | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rootstock | P.18 |
Resulted from a cross of M.4 x Common Antonovka and released by the Research Institute of Poland in Skierniewice, Poland. This is a nondwarfing rootstock with vigor similar to seedling. It has not been tested widely in North America, but based on a trial in Illinois P.18 was less precocious and had lower yield efficiency than MM.111. Inoculation tests in California indicate it is moderately resistant to phytophthora. It is susceptible to wooly apple aphid, |
Apple Rootstock Info: Seedling
| Characteristic | Detail | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rootstock | Seedling |
Seedling rootstocks are usually produced from seeds obtained from apple juice plants and are typically ‘Delicious’. Because seedling rootstocks are not clonal, one might expect more tree-to-tree variation than with clonal rootstocks. Trees on seedling rootstocks are considered full sized trees (100% standard) and well pruned mature trees will typically be about 16’ to 18’ tall with a canopy diameter of about 13’ to 16’. Trees on seedling rootstocks generally have good survival, are free-standing, |
How New Apple Rootstocks Are Developed
Breeding improved apple rootstocks has been a priority research area in New York State since Dr. Jim Cummins and Dr. Herb Aldwinkle initiated crosses in 1970. In 1998, the rootstock program became a joint Cornell/U.S. Department of Agriculture program and in 2011 is headed by Dr. Gennaro Fazio. The program has focused on creating rootstocks that are resistant to the major apple diseases, fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) and crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum), and tolerant to a …
Tissue Culture Propagation of Apple Rootstocks
Plant tissue culture is a relatively new propagation technique started about 50 years ago. It has become a major propagation tool for many plant species, especially for fruit tree rootstocks: apple, pear, cherry, peach, almond, etc. In Europe, the majority of peach and cherry rootstocks are propagated through tissue culture. About 15 to 20 million peach rootstocks are propagated by tissue culture annually. More and more pear, cherry, peach, almond, walnut, and pistachio rootstocks have been propagated by tissue culture …
Apple Rootstock Influence on Precocity
One of the factors to consider when choosing a rootstock is its influence on the ability to induce fruitfulness — defined by horticulturists as precocity. Horticulturists measure this trait in apple rootstocks by observing the length of time from planting to when the cultivar produces flowers. The trend is as the rootstock induces more dwarfing, the scion cultivar will flower earlier in the life of the orchard. For example, if a cultivar is grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock and a …
Apple Tree Productivity
In addition to training systems, soil effects, and rootstocks, productivity is one of the most important parameters when comparing apple cultivars to determine ultimate profitability. Pomologists have long struggled with the question of how best to determine productivity when comparing trees of different size, such as those encountered in rootstock evaluations.
How Apple Tree Productivity Is Measured
For more information:
W. Autio, D. Greene, and W. Lord presented a comparison of several apple rootstocks with ‘McIntosh’ as …
Winter Hardiness of Apple Rootstocks
The capacity of apple trees to survive low temperatures is influenced by the scion cultivar and the rootstock. Rootstocks vary in their low temperature tolerance. Some rootstocks cease growth earlier than others, which results in high levels of resistance to early winter freezes. In the fall, with shorter day lengths and cooler temperatures, trees start to acclimate to low temperatures at the outer tips of branches. This process of acclimation (the ability to adapt to colder temperatures) progresses toward the …