MULTISTATE RESEARCH PROJECT IMPACT STATEMENTNC-140 (2012-2017): Improving Fruit Tree ProductionSustainability through Changes in Rootstock Use

摘要

In North America, fruit tree producers continue to suffer losses due to cold temperatures, diseases, poor soil conditions, and graft incompatibility. With a highly competitive international market, consumer demand for high quality fruit, and strong pressure to reduce chemical use, fruit tree growers are seeking economically and environmentally sustainable production schemes. Many fruit tree growers are adopting high-density systems. The central component of a high-density system is the rootstock, thepart of the tree that controls final tree canopy size. Limiting canopy size allows for more trees per acre, but rootstocks can have serious weaknesses (rootstock may influence productivity, fruit quality, pest resistance, and stress tolerance); and though potential returns of high-density plantings far exceed those of low-density plantings, they cost 10 to 20 times more per acre to establish.