Rec. Layne et Py. Jui, GENETICALLY DIVERSE PEACH SEEDLING ROOTSTOCKS AFFECT LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF REDHAVEN PEACH ON FOX SAND, Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 119(6), 1994, pp. 1303-1311
Ten genetically diverse peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] seedling ro
otstocks were studied for 10 years on Fox sand using 'Redhaven' as the
scion. The purpose of the experiment was to assess the performance of
three Harrow Research Station (Ont.) hybrid selections (H7338013, H73
38016, and H7338019) and two northern China introductions ('Chui Lum T
ao' and 'Tzim Pee Tao') against five commercial standards, two of whic
h were selected in Canada ('Harrow Blood' and 'Siberian C') and three
in the United States ('Bailey', 'Halford', and 'Lovell'). Rootstock pe
rformance was assessed indirectly by measuring or subjectively rating
various aspects of scion performance including annual trunk cross-sect
ional area (TCA); final tree height, spread, and TCA; bloom and fruit
set intensity; yield and yield efficiency; canker (Leucostoma spp.) se
verity; defoliation rate; winter injury; cold hardiness of flower buds
and shoot xylem; and tree survival. Rootstock effects on the above me
asurements and ratings were significant in some years and not in other
s. Year effects were always large and significant, while rootstock x y
ear interactions were usually small and not significant. In the combin
ed analyses over years, the largest rootstock effects were obtained fo
r bloom, fruit set, and defoliation ratings and for TCA measurements.
Three cumulative responses, including marketable yields, yield efficie
ncy, and tree survival, were used for comparing the five experimental
rootstocks with the five commercial standards and also for ranking the
10 rootstocks with respect to each other to assess their potential co
mmercial value as peach rootstocks. 'Chui Lum Tao', H7338013, and 'Bai
ley' had the most commercial potential for southern Ontario because th
ey typically promoted above average cumulative yield, yield efficiency
, and tree survival. 'Tzim Pee Tao','Siberian C', and 'Harrow Blood' w
ere less valuable, with low cumulative marketable yields. 'Halford' an
d 'Lovell' were the least valuable, with the lowest tree survival (17%
). Performance of H7338013 exceeded that of both parents (Bailey' and
'Siberian C'), H7338019 exceeded 'Siberian C' but not 'Bailey', while
performance of H7338016 was inferior to both parents. Wider testing of
the experimental rootstocks on different soil types and climatic zone
s is needed.