Early performance of several Prunus interspecific hybrid rootstocks for Redhaven peach in southern Ontario

Abstract

A multi-year orchard experiment was established to measure the performance of Rootpac®-R, Rootpac®-20, Rootpac®-40, and Rootpac®-70 rootstocks using ‘Redhaven’ peach (Prunus persica var. persica) as the scion, and compared with the Bailey peach seedling rootstock, the current industry standard. Tree survival after five years was 79% on Rootpac-40, whereas the remaining rootstocks showed no tree mortality. Tree vigour and canopy height and width were influenced by rootstock genotype beginning the year of planting in 2016. For the first five years of production, Rootpac-70 consistently produced the largest trees based on TCSA and by year five, all rootstocks produced trees with similar TCSAs, except for Rootpac-70, which was 38% larger than Bailey. By year five, cumulative yields were greatest on Rootpac-70, which were 10% higher than Bailey; cumulative yields of Rootpac-R, Rootpac-20, and Rootpac-30 were 98%, 89%, and 84% that of Bailey, respectively. Cumulative yield efficiency was significantly influenced by rootstock although the magnitude of the differences was small and likely of insignificant commercial importance. Rootpac-40 consistently produced the largest fruit. These results are only reflective of the orchard establishment years and additional data are required before peach producers can make fully informed decisions concerning the rootstocks evaluated in this study for their orchard systems. However, at this juncture, all the Rootpac rootstocks evaluated in this study are likely to impart excessive vigour to be used in a higher density system and offer little advantage over Bailey.

‘Rootpac R’ for Apricots? Yes!

“…Additionally, the excellent space efficiency achieved by 'Rootpac R' demonstrates its potential as a rootstock for cultivation, providing improved spatial utilization and potentially higher yields. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of space utilization within orchards and suggest that 'Rootpac R' may serve as a more favorable rootstock for optimizing spatial use and potentially enhancing yields [34].…”

“…Among Bulgarian conditions, no mortality was reported during the trial period [38]. Among the climate conditions of South Ontario (Canada), there was no mortality rate on 'Rootpac R' during the five years of evaluation [34]. SR, crucial for gauging adaptability and resilience to environmental stresses, provides key feedback on orchard health [39].…”