MATCHING ROOTSTOCK AND TREE SPACING

摘要

When growers plant a new orchard the decisions of rootstock and tree spacing to a great extent determine the performance of the orchard for the next 20 years. If rootstock and tree spacing are mismatched, either growers must prune excessively to holdthe trees to their allotted space or the trees never fill their allotted space. In either case, yields are low and economic returns are disappointing. Over the years, growers have generally been cautious not to plant trees too close together so that if excessive tree vigor later developed the trees would have room to grow. With the recent trend toward higher tree densities and more dwarfing rootstocks, growers need to understand the economic costs of spacing trees too far apart and rethink appropriate tree spacings.