AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE GENEVA® SERIE APPLE ROOTSTOCKS IN THE SOUTHERN OF BRAZIL

Abstract

ABSTRACT   The purpose of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance of some Geneva® apple rootstocks on plant vigor control, annual yield and cumulative yield, cumulative yield efficiency and fruit weight of ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ scions compared to the traditional apple rootstocks ‘M.9’ e ‘MM.111’, used in Brazil. All the Geneva® apple rootstocks were more efficient than MM.111 on vigor control and cumulative yield efficiency of ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ in the Middle West of the state of Santa Catarina. All of them induced higher cumulative yield than the ‘M.9’, mainly for the ‘G.213’ and the ‘G.210’ for both varieties, and the ‘G.202’ for ‘Fuji’. All the Geneva® rootstocks had more cumulative yield efficiency than ‘MM.111’. The ‘G.213’ and ‘CG.22’ were more efficient than ‘M.9’ for ‘Gala’. For ‘Fuji’, all Geneva® rootstocks were more efficient than ‘M.9’, except for ‘CG.22’. Considering all characteristics evaluated, G.213 (dwarfing) and G.210 (semidwarfing) were the most promising rootstocks for both scion varieties. The rootstock G.202 was very promising to ‘Fuji’ as well.

Malus domestica; Geneva® series; cumulative yield; cumulative yield efficiency; fruit weight