English Walnut Rootstocks Help Avoid Blackline Disease, but Produce Less Than ‘Paradox’ Hybrid
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RESEARCH ARTICLE ▼ English walnut rootstocks help avoid blackline disease, but produce less than ‘Paradox’ hybrid Joseph A. Grant Gale H. McGranahan ▼ While ‘Paradox’ hybrid seedlings are often the rootstocks of choice for California walnut orchards, there is a resurgence of interest in using English walnut seedlings because walnut blackline disease, which is endemic in many California walnut production districts, does not affect them. We compared the growth and productivity of walnuts on English rootstocks from a variety of sources to those on Paradox rootstock. The growth and productivity of ‘Chandler’ walnut trees were similar among trees on seedling English rootstocks in one trial, but trees on English rootstocks were smaller and had lower production than Paradox John M. Mircetich John M. hybrid–rooted trees in the other. alifornia’s first walnut trees and orchards were planted during the SpanishC mission period (around 1800), using seedlings of early varieties of Persian or English walnut (Juglans regia) chosen for their superior growth and nut quality. Since the 1890s, walnut trees in California have been propagated by grafting or budding desired cultivars onto rootstocks chosen for their adapta- tion to different physical, chemical or biological soil conditions at individual orchard sites. From the early to mid- Blackline-infected trees on, above left, black walnut, and, above right, ‘Paradox’ rootstocks are slowly girdled by the death of rootstock tissue at the graft union. Top, over time, wal- 20th century, seedlings of Northern nut trees with blackline decline in vigor, leading to dieback of branches and, ultimately, California black walnut (Juglans hindsii) death of the tree. Trees on English rootstocks develop no graft union symptoms and escape were used as rootstocks because they the debilitating effects of blackline infection. grew vigorously and were more tolerant of saline and saturated soil and more used occasionally. Paradox seedlings on black or English walnut rootstocks, resistant to soil-borne pests than English are hybrids of black and English wal- are more resistant to Phythophthora walnut seedlings. nuts, and the rootstocks are grown by root and crown rot disease, and are Since the 1950s, ‘Paradox’ hybrid nurseries using seed nuts collected more tolerant of lesion nematode seedlings have supplanted black and from black walnut trees, particularly J. (Pratylenchus vulnus), both of which English walnut as rootstocks of choice hindsii (Potter et al. 2002) pollinated by are widely distributed and problem- for California orchards, though black English walnut pollen. Paradox-rooted atic in California orchards (Browne et walnut (J. hindsii and others) is still trees grow more vigorously than those al. 1977; McGranahan and Catlin 1987; http://CaliforniaAgriculture.ucop.edu • OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2005 249 TABLE 1. English seedling rootstocks used in the study came from a variety of commercial nursery sources Seedling rootstock Source Site 1 Eureka Visalia, Calif. Manregian Davis, Calif. Spanish Tarragona, Spain Ronde de Montignac France Corne France Site 2 Paradox Modesto, Calif. Carpathian Loomis, Wash. Russian Loomis, Wash. Waterloo Modesto, Calif. Sunland Modesto, Calif. Eureka Gridley, Calif. Chandler Modesto, Calif. Serr and Rizzi 1964). Because of their generally poor performance, both in Fig. 1. Average trunk diameter (top) and nut production (bottom) of experimental controlled experiments and limited trees at site 1 (left) and site 2 (right). Columns headed by common letters indicate commercial orchard use, English seed- cumulative yields that are not significantly different (Fisher’s protected LSD, P ≤ 0.05). lings are now used only occasionally as walnut rootstocks in California. English walnut sources as rootstocks for suppliers (McGranahan and Leslie The recent resurgence of interest walnuts in California. The identifica- 1990), and Paradox hybrid seedlings in using English walnut seedlings as tion of a source of English walnut with from a California nursery. Experimental rootstocks in California is a result of superior vigor, productivity and pest plots were in five alternate rows in a the discovery in the 1970s that walnut tolerance could provide walnut growers solid Chandler planting. blackline disease, caused by cherry in areas of high CLRV incidence with an The trials at both sites were config- leafroll virus (CLRV), was endemic in acceptable alternative to the hypersensi- ured as randomized complete block many California walnut production tive rootstocks currently in use. designs, with three 5-tree plots at site districts. CLRV infection kills tissue at 1 and five 8-tree plots at site 2. Trees Rootstock trials the graft union of trees grown on black for both sites were nursery-propagated walnut and Paradox rootstocks, but Two trials were established in a com- and planted as grafted 2-year-old trees. not those on English walnut rootstock mercial walnut orchard near Linden in Nursery seedlings for both sites were because it is naturally tolerant of CLRV. San Joaquin County. Soil at both test sites tested for CLRV, and infected trees This reaction gradually girdles and kills was Archerdale clay loam. The trials were discarded to prevent the intro- black walnut– and Paradox-rooted trees were in 12-feet-by-24-feet high-density duction of blackline virus disease to (Mircetich et al. 1980; Mircetich and “hedgerow” plantings, which were the test orchard. Rowhani 1984). There is some evidence sprinkler-irrigated. Formerly planted to Tree growth was evaluated at both from Europe of adverse impacts due to walnuts, both sites were fumigated with sites by annual trunk-diameter mea- systemic CLRV infection on the growth methyl bromide prior to planting. surements made 12 inches above the of English-rooted trees (Mircetich et al. Site 1 was planted in 1989 and graft union. Yield (in-shell, 8% wet basis 1998). But these effects are not as well consisted of three rows of ‘Chandler’ moisture) was measured at site 1 in 1993, documented as other disadvantages of this trees that had been nursery-grafted 1995, 1997 and 2003, and at site 2 in an- rootstock and, thus, are not considered det- on English walnut seedlings from nually from 1997 through 2003. Growth rimental enough to preclude its use where Manregian and Eureka from California, and yield data from the experimental otherwise indicated. ‘Ronde de Montignac’ and ‘Corne’ from plots were analyzed using two-way Seedlings of ‘Manregian’ and France, and a source collected from analysis of variance and Fisher’s pro- ‘Eureka’ English walnuts have been Tarragona, Spain. Experimental plots tected LSD for mean separation. available to California growers for many were within pollenizer rows planted Tree growth and productivity years. In the 1980s, commercial nurs- every eighth row in a ‘Vina’ orchard eries began offering seedlings from a (table 1). At site 1, there were no significant variety of other English walnut sources Site 2 was planted in 1994 and differences among English-rooted in response to renewed interest stimu- included seedlings from Eureka, trees in annual trunk diameter or nut lated by the discovery and prevalence ‘Waterloo’, Chandler and ‘Sunland’ production (fig. 1). Similarly, at site 2, of blackline disease. We undertook this provided by a California nursery, two English-rooted trees from all sources study to compare the orchard perfor- English walnut sources named ‘Russian’ were similar in trunk diameter dur- mance of seedlings from some of these and ‘Carpathian’ by their respective ing most of the study years (1995 250 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE • VOLUME 59, NUMBER 4 Walnut blackline disease, caused by cherry leafroll virus, through 1998, and 2001 through 2003) is endemic in many California walnut-producing districts. (fig. 1). The only significant difference in trunk diameter recorded among This has spurred renewed interest in using English walnut English-rooted trees was in 1999 and seedlings as rootstocks. 2000 at site 2, when trees on Chandler seedlings were smaller than those on Waterloo seedlings. In contrast, trees and nut production as a result of plant- References on Paradox seedlings had significantly ing English seedling rootstocks. Browne LT, Brown LC, Ramos DE. 1977. Walnut rootstocks compared. Cal Ag larger trunk diameters than those on However, it remains to be deter- 31(7):14–5. any of the English rootstocks from 1996 mined — in this trial as well as in com- McGranahan GH, Catlin PB. 1987. Juglans through 2003. mercial practice — whether the growth rootstocks. In: Rom RC, Carlson RF (eds.). Individual year yields at site 2 were and yield advantages of Paradox-rooted Rootstocks for Fruit Crops. New York: Wiley. p 411–50. not significantly different among root- trees will be outweighed by the po- McGranahan GH, Leslie C. 1990. Walnuts stocks in 1997, 1999 or 2003. Paradox- tentially longer life of English-rooted (Juglans L.). In: Moore JN, Ballington JR rooted trees had significantly greater trees, since blackline incidence increases (eds.). Genetic Resources of Temperate Fruit yields than trees on all English root- over the life of the orchard. In addi- & Nut Crops. Acta Hort 290(2). Int Soc Hort Sci, Wageningen. p 907–51. stock sources in 2000 and 2001, and all tion, because English-rooted trees are Mircetich SM, Rowhani A. 1984. The rela- but those on Carpathian seedlings in still considered more susceptible to tionship of cherry leafroll virus and blackline 1998 and Russian and Carpathian seed- Phytophthora root and crown rot, and disease of English walnut trees. Phytopath 74:423–8. lings in 2002. Individual year yields to damage by lesion nematode, growers Mircetich SM, Rowhani A, Civerolo EL, Ra- were similar among English sources must carefully evaluate all the ramifi- mos DE. 1998. Blackline disease. In: Ramos DE except for in 2000 and 2001, when cations of their rootstock choice when (ed.). Walnut Orchard Management. UC ANR Chandler-rooted trees had significantly planning a new orchard. Pub 3373, Oakland, CA. p 233–41. Mircetich SM, Sanborn RR, Ramos DE. lower yields than Carpathian-rooted 1980.