INFLUENCE OF TREE SHELTERS, IRRIGATION AND BRANCH PRUNING ON EARLY FIELD PERFORMANCE OF MICROPROPAGATED WILD CHERRY CV F12 1/

The growth potential of micropropagated wild cherry cv. F12/1 under fi eld conditions was assessed. Relatively short trees (19-22 cm tall) we re planted in the field just seven months after transfer from tissue c ulture to soil. Irrigation and shelters promoted shoot heights in the first (establishment) year. If planting techniques can be developed wh ich reduce branch production, then the cost of corrective pruning to a chieve clean stems is also reduced. Shelters, but not irrigation almos t totally inhibited outgrowth of branches produced in spring. Outgrowt h of spring branches by unsheltered trees was strongly influenced by t ree height at planting, with shorter trees producing fewer branches. I n the second and third years of the trial, pruning branches from trees that had been planted in shelters, resulted in taller trees. By the e nd of the third year, pruned trees had smaller stem diameters than unp runed trees. These results are discussed with respect to using cv. F12 /1 as a productive timber tree.