Where did a lot of rootstock research happen?
East Malling research station, England
Why do we want rootstock?
Tree size
Precocity
More fruit per wood (more efficient/more yield)
Abiotic stressors (cold hardiness)
Biotic stressors (diseases)
What’s the problem with big trees?
Hard to manage
Low precocity
Lower yield efficiency per wood
Lower yield per acre
Most common rootstocks in North America
M9
M26
Common rootstock for main tree fruits
Apple M9, M26
Sweet cherry Mazzard
Tart cherry Mahaleb
Pear Bartlett
Peach Bailey
Deciding on rootstock
Tree size
Orchard system
Tree spacing
Site vigour
Abiotic and biotic stressors
Which scion
A good rootstock should:
Control tree size
Not decrease yield
Be disease resistant
Not be prone to suckering
Be free of virus
What are burr knots?
Roots below bark on above ground portion of rootstock that burst through the bark leaving an easy entry for disease
Why are suckers annoying?
If you hit them with a systemic herbicide, whole tree could die
Sweet cherry rootstock
Sweet cherry Mazzard
Tart cherry rootstock
Tart cherry Mahaleb
Pear rootstock
Pear Bartlett
Peach rootstock
Peach Bailey
