Propagation of Sand Plum (Prunus Angustifolia) Marsh.: an Exciting Start to Domestication
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PROPAGATION OF SAND PLUM (PRUNUS ANGUSTIFOLIA) MARSH.: AN EXCITING START TO DOMESTICATION By ELIZABETH ANN MCMAHON Bachelor of Science in Rangeland Management and Horticulture Texas A&M University College Station, TX 2010 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE HORTICULTURE July, 2013 ii PROPAGATION OF SAND PLUM (PRUNUS ANGUSTIFOLIA) MARSH.: AN EXCITING START TO DOMESTICATION Thesis Approved: Dr. Bruce Dunn Thesis Adviser Dr. Eric Stafne Dr. Karen R. Hickman ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for this grant was provided by the Oklahoma Specialty Crop Research grant through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. I would sincerely like to thank them for awarding this grant to my professors, and for giving me the chance to work on this project. I would like to thank Dr. Bruce Dunn for the time that he spent assisting me with my thesis, as well as his advice on my research. Additional thanks are owed to Dr. Karen Hickmann and Dr. Eric Stafne for agreeing to be on my committee and for helping me with abstracts. Thank you to my fellow graduate students: Li Jiang, for your company when I was working on my proposal; Rania, for your help and being someone to talk to about graduate school; and Stephen, for watering my practice grafts and helping me plant at Perkins. Thank you to Leon and Eddy for the use of their land as field plots and a special thanks to Leon for his advice on the sand plums as well as his eagerness to try different graft techniques. My thanks also go to Becky Carroll for her help and advice, Becky Thompson for her lab advice, and to Josh and the guys out at the Perkins field for spraying and mowing. Thanks and praise to God for the sand plum crop not freezing in 2012. I would like to thank my family for being supportive, and I would especially like to thank Dr. Dirac Twidwell whose RLEM 491 class kept me from getting lost. iii Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University Name: Elizabeth Ann McMahon Date of Degree: July, 2013 Title of Study: PROPAGATION OF SAND PLUM (PRUNUS ANGUSTIFOLIA) MARSH.: AN EXCITING START TO DOMESTICATION Major Field: Horticulture Sand plums (Prunus angustifolia Marsh.) hold potential for further development as fruit bearing trees. Propagation information is lacking however. The objective of the first experiment was to evaluate different rootstocks for their effects on sand plum accessions, to demonstrate initial differences between sand plum accessions and to preform preliminary detection of incompatibility if possible. Experiments were performed in the field and in the greenhouse. Chip budding, t-budding and cleft grafting was used in the field and chip budding in the greenhouse experiment. Rootstocks ‘Lovell’, ‘St. Julien A’, and myrobalan were used at two field sites, and rootstocks ‘Lovell’, ‘Nemaguard’, st. julien and ‘Myrobalan 29 C’ were used in the greenhouse experiment. Field trees were monitored for bud survival. T-budding, chip budding and cleft grafting had poor graft take in the field. Bud survival and height were measured in the greenhouse experiment. Greenhouse chip budding resulted in 66% percent overall bud survival. Accession 44 had significantly less bud survival out of all accessions and control. ‘Myrobalan 29 C’ rootstock had significantly reduced height when only surviving buds were used. The objective of the second experiment was to determine which concentration of IBA and which season was the most appropriate to initiate high rooting success of sand plum. Three seasons (spring, summer, fall) and five IBA concentrations (0, 100, 1,000, 3,000 and 7,000 ppm) were used. Rooting percentage, root quality and presence or absence of callusing was measured. Experiment 2 cuttings in spring and summer seasons with higher (3,000 and 7,000 ppm) concentrations of IBA resulted in more rooting than cuttings with lower IBA rates. Root quality was not affected by IBA concentration or season. The objective of the third experiment was to determine the best stratification and scarification methods for sand plum seed. Seeds were stratified for 0, 30 and 60 days and scarified by the creation of a small hole in the top of the endocarp. Scarification did not produce any significant results. The 60 days stratification period had significantly highest germination. Highest germination was 60 days cold unscarified seeds at 31%. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 Tables and Figures ...................................................................................................5 References ................................................................................................................7 II. GRAFTING OF SAND PLUM.................................................................................8 Introduction ..............................................................................................................8 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................11 Results and Discussion ..........................................................................................15 Conclusion .............................................................................................................18 Tables and Figures .................................................................................................20 References ..............................................................................................................28 III. CUTTING PROPAGATION OF SAND PLUMS ................................................31 Introduction ............................................................................................................31 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................33 Results and Discussion ..........................................................................................35 Conclusion .............................................................................................................39 Tables and Figures .................................................................................................41 References ..............................................................................................................47 v Chapter Page IV. SEED PROPAGATION OF SAND PLUMS ........................................................49 Introduction ............................................................................................................49 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................51 Results and Discussion ..........................................................................................52 Conclusion .............................................................................................................57 Tables and Figures .................................................................................................58 References ..............................................................................................................62 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1. Native Prunus species in Oklahoma and their characteristics……………………......5 2.1 List of sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) accessions and approximate flowering times…………………………………………………………………………………20 2.2. Percent survival and grafting means for each accession by rootstock for greenhouse grafting experiment…………………………………………………….. 21 3.1. Percent rooting means for sand plum (Prunus angustifolia ) experiment 1………….41 3.2. Callusing means by season and IBA for experiment 1………………………………42 3.3. Percent rooting means for experiment 2. Sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) cuttings separated by season, and IBA treatment……………………………………………………………………………...43 3.4. Callusing means by season, and IBA concentration for sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) in experiment 2………………………………………………..44 4.1. Comparison of mechanical scarification treatments and varying stratification times as percent means for sand plum (Prunus angustifolia)…………………………58 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Visual indicators of sand plum (Prunus angustifolia Marsh.) diseases……………..6 2.1 Three different grafting methods……………………………………………………22 2.2. Temperature maximums and minimums for Perkins, Oklahoma……………………23 2.3. Rain in cm for Perkins, Oklahoma...............................................................................24 2.4. Temperature maximums and minimums for Marshall, Oklahoma…………………..25 2.5. Rain in cm for Marshall, Oklahoma…………………………………………………26 2.6. Illustration of alignment of scion to rootstock.………………………………………27 3.1. Quality designations of rooting………………………………………………………45 3.2. Rooting percent means for three seasons over IBA ranges for sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) in experiment 2. ……………………………………………………….46 4.1. Germination rates of sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) scarified and unscarified seed after removal from 60 days cold stratification………………………………59 4.2. Percent germination of cold stratified sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) regardless of scarification treatment…………………………………………………………….60 4.3. (A) Unscarified seed (left) compared to scarified seed (right). (B) Plum curculio in microscope at scope magnification. (Magnification 10 X 1.25)………...61 viii CHAPTER