Coming Up Short: New dwarfing rootstocks for peaches and nectarines could save growers on labor costs

摘要

SOME progressive stone fruit growers will soon start realizing the benefits of pedestrian, or ladder-free, orchards that their apple-growing counterparts enjoy. In a cooperative project between USD A and the University of California (UC)-Davis, size-controlling peach and nectarine rootstocks are now available through several California nurseries. The rootstocks could potentially change the face of the industry, says Ted Dejong, a UC-Davis professor of tree crop physiology, who led the team of researchers. "It's just a matter of time before growers get comfortable with it," he says.