Yield performance of apple rootstocks of the Geneva series on replanting soil

Abstract

The objective of this work was to identify rootstocks with competitive agronomic potential to substitute those currently used in Southern Brazil for the Galaxy and Fuji Suprema apple scion cultivars cultivated on replanting soils. The experiment was carried out in the municipality of Lebon Regis, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, from the 2009/2010 to the 2014/2015 crop season, in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates. The yield performance of the 'Galaxy' and 'Fuji Suprema' scions grafted on the G.056, G.202, G.213, G.814, G.896, G.969, M.9, and Marubakaido/M.9 rootstocks was evaluated. G.896 and G.814 stood out due to their superior annual and cumulative fruit yields, as well as to their greater yield regularity, although they showed lower ability of dwarfing the scion. The greatest average fruit weight of 'Galaxy' was obtained on G.056 and G.213. For 'Fuji Suprema', G.969 promoted smaller fruits, whereas the other rootstocks did not differ. All the evaluated rootstocks produced less suckers than Marubakaido/M.9 and less burrknots than M.9 and Marubakaido/M.9. In general, on replanting soil conditions, G.202 is promising among dwarfing rootstocks, mainly for 'Fuji Suprema'. G.056, G.814, and G.896 also stand out, and the two first are more specific for 'Fuji Suprema'.