Influence of Interstock Grafting as a Dwarfing Component on Peach Trees Development and Fruit Quality PDF

Keywords

dwarfing techniques, interstock grafting, peach trees, fruit quality,

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the interstock grafting effect as a dwarfing component on peach tree development and fruit quality. The study was made at the Ehime University Experimental Farm located in south-eastern Japan during the period 2001-2005. The results of the field experiment indicated that pruned branches weight and flowers number were lower in interstock than in control trees. However, percent fruit set was a little higher in interstock treated than in control trees. Fruit yield and fruit weight were lower in interstock treated than control trees. Soluble solids content and maturity index were higher in interstock treated trees than control, with an increasing trend in the period from 2001 to 2005, while titratable acidity showed an opposite trend. The results of this study showed that the interstock grafting is a useful dwarfing component for controlling the size of peach trees and improvement of fruit quality.