EVALUATION OF STOCK-SCIONS COMBINATIONS FOR KUBANSKAYA KOMETA AND VICTORIA VARIETIES USING SEEDLING AND CLONAL ROOTSTOCKS

Abstract

This paper presents study results of two plum varieties: ‘Kubanskaya Kometa’ (hybrid plum group) and ‘Victoria’ (home plum group), grafted on 8 generative and 8 vegetative rootstocks of European origin in climatic conditions of Institute of Horticulture (Pūre, Latvia), Polli Horticultural Research Centre (Estonia) and Brest Regional Agricultural Experimental Station (Pruzani, Belarus). Experimental orchards were established in 2001. The flowering intensity, tree survival, tree healthiness after winter were evaluated in three geographical regions. Besides biochemical analysis (content of sugars, proline) were performed for annual shoots from two investigation places during wintering period. The aim of the research was to evaluate the winter hardiness of different rootstocks which are bred and grown in Europe and select the most appropriate for climatic conditions of Latvia, Estonia and Belarus. In Latvia conditions, generatively propagated Brompton, St. Julien d´Orleans and Wangenheims Zwetsche were found as the most stable rootstocks for varieties ‘Kubanskaya Kometa’ and ‘Victoria’. In Estonia conditions, clonal rootstock GF 8/1 and seedling rootstock Brompton were selected as the most appropriated for the variety ‘Kubanskaya Kometa’ and the clonal rootstock GF655/2 and seedling rootstocks Brompton and Wangenheims Zwetsche were selected as the most appropriated for the variety ‘Victoria’. In Belarus, the most stable rootstocks for both varieties were clonal GF655/2 and seedling Wangenheims Zwetsche.