FOLIA UNIVERSITATIS AGRICULTURAE STETINENSIS Ireneusz

Home , Gala (apple), Telstar (apple)

FOLIA UNIVERSITATIS AGRICULTURAE STETINENSIS Folia Univ. Agric. Stetin. 2007, Agric., Aliment., Pisc. Zootech. 259 (3), 135–142

Ireneusz OCHMIAN

THE INFLUENCE OF IRRIGATION AND FERTILISATION ON GROWTH AND YIELDING OF THREE CULTIVARS OF APPLE TREES ON SEMI-DWARFING ROOTSTOCKS

WPŁYW NAWOŻENIA I NAWADNIANIA NA WZROST I PLONOWANIE TRZECH ODMIAN JABŁONI NA PODKŁADKACH PÓŁKARŁOWYCH

Pomology Department, Agricultural University of Szczecin Janosika 8, 71-424 Szczecin, Poland, [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract. In this study was to determine the growth strength, fruit bearing intensity as well as the size and yield quality of some improved apple tree cultivars on different types of semi- dwarfing rootstocks depending on irrigation and fertilisation. The experiment was carried out in the years 2000–2003. Three cultivars of apple trees: ‘Lired’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Gala’ were inocu- lated on semi-dwarfing rootstocks MM106, M.7 and P14 witch fertiligated (control), irrigated or fertiligated and irrigated. ‘Lired’ was characterised by the weakest growth, however the best yielding ‘Freedom’ cultivar was characterised by the highest fruit bearing intensity coefficient. Both marketable yield weight and percentages of higher size class fruit were greatly influenced by rootstock MM106. The percentage of higher size class fruit also increased with both irrigation and fertilisation applied at the same time.

Key words: yield, fruit size, canopy volume, leaf area index, fruit bearing intensity coefficient. Słowa kluczowe: plon, wielkość owoców, objętość korony, wskaźnik powierzchni liściowej, współczynniki intensywności owocowania.

INTRODUCTION

The marketable value of each cultivar is modified by various factors such as rootstocks, the method of cultivation and pruning, and weather conditions. Thus all elements of the process of production must be constantly improved. High density planting can produce high yield per area unit only on condition that rootstocks of weakened growth strength are used and they are specially provided with water. All farm fruit plants have a strong response to drought, which prohibits them from growing and proper yielding. Thus apple trees grown on semi-dwarfing rootstocks are in particular considered to be plants with greatest water requirements. The aim of this study was to determine the growth strength, fruit bearing intensity and the size and yield quality of some young trees of improved cultivars on three different semi-dwarfing rootstocks depending on applied agronomical treatments in West- ern Pomerania Region.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The experiment was conducted in the Fruit Farming Experimental Station in Rajkowo in the years 2000–2003, which belongs to the Department of Fruit Farming of Agricultural University in Szczecin. Three apple tree cultivars: ‘Lired’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Gala’ were inocu- 136 I. Ochmian lated on semi-dwarfing rootstocks MM106, M.7 and P14. These trees were every year only fertiligated (F) – control, only irrigated (I) or fertiligated and irrigated (I+F). Mineral fertilisation was used every year in the doses of: N – 60 kg ha–1 (sulphate –1 –1 of ammonia), K2O – 80 kg ha (saltpetre) and MgO – 60 kg ha (magnesium sulphate). The fertilisation with nitrogen was conducted twice subsequently in early spring – 1 and after flower- ing – 2, whereas fertilising with potassium and magnesium was applied in autumn every year. The intensity of irrigation was modified each year depending on the soil humidity meas- ured by contact soil tensiometers. The values of the tensiometer placed 30 cm deep below the surface marked the beginning of irrigation and values of the tensiometer placed deeper – 50 cm below the ground marked the ending of this process. The soil was drip-watered around the trees within 1 metre diameter with the use of a firmly placed T-tape of 1 dm3·h–1 efficiency (5 dm3 of water·h–1 for each metre of the installation). All trees were planted with support construction at a spacing 4x3 m (833 trees·ha–1) in spring 1998. Measurements of trunk circumference, canopy parameters, leaf area (with the use of DIAS apparatus), yield and its characteristics were collected every year of the research and in- cluded all the trees taking part in this experiment. The experiment was set up by a random- ised block method in 6 replications with 3 trees in each plot. Two-factorial analysis of variance with the use of program Statistica 6.0 was used to establish the significance of the differences in the growth and yielding of the examined cultivars depending on rootstocks and applied agronomical treatments. All statistical calculations were conducted separately for each particular cultivar. The obtained mean differences were verified by means of Dun- can’s multiple range test at p = 0.05.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Canopy parameters are one of the most important features which depending on the used cultivar and rootstocks enable us to determine the tree growth. Its height and width allows to evaluate the growth strength of the examined cultivars and rootstocks. On the basis of this information we can make judgements about the tree density in the orchard as well as the way and intensity of pruning (Szczepański and Rejman 1987). Canopy volumes (m3) of the examined cultivars depending on applied combinations in the subsequent years of the experiment have been shown in Table 1. On the basis of the synthesis for the years 2000–2003 no significant influence of the applied factors on canopy volume was noted. It was however observed that the examined cultivar trees on rootstocks MM106 developed canopies of the highest volume, whereas these on rootstocks P14 the lowest. The significant tree growth on rootstocks MM106 was also confirmed by Gregorczyk et al. (2001). The tendency to develop higher canopy volumes under the influence of fertilisation and irrigation (I+F) was observed. Assimilation area size is an indication about the tree growth and its productivity (Os- trowska and Chełpiński 2000), which is directly related to its fruit bearing (Starzecki and Mika 1979; Mika 1987). This is a total leaf area expressed in 1 m2 per each 1 m2 of the soil occupied by the particular tree (Palmer and Jackson 1974). The influence of the cultivar, rootstocks and agricultural treatments on leaf area index was observed in the experiment The influence of irrigation and fertilisation on growth... 137

(Table 1). ‘Gala’ was characterised by the lowest index, whereas ‘Freedom’ was characterised by the highest parameters. It was also noted that most tree cultivars on rootstock MM106 and fertilised and irrigated trees (I+F) developed more leaves.

Table 1. The influence of experimental factors on canopy volume and leaf area index depending on applied rootstocks (MM106, M.7, P14) and treatments (fertilization, irrigation and irrigation with fertilization) Tabela 1. Objętość koron drzew oraz wskaźnik powierzchni liściowej w zależności od zastosowanych podkładek (MM106, M.7, P14) oraz zabiegów agrotechnicznych (nawoże- nia, nawadniania i nawożenia w połączeniu z nawadnianiem) ‘Lired’ ‘Freedom’ ‘Gala’ Treat- 3 ments Canopy volume – synthesis for 2000–2003 – Objętość korony drzew – synteza z lat 2000–2003 [m ] Zabiegi MM106 M.7 P14 x MM106 M.7 P14 x MM106 M.7 P14 x Rootstock – Podkładka F 1.63a* 1.41a 1.27a 1.44a 2.32ab 2.35abc 1.86a 2.18a 2.29ab 2.25ab 1.84a 2.13a I 1.82a 1.54a 1.35a 1.57a 2.70bc 2.46abc 2.10ab 2.42a 3.16b 2.37ab 2.00a 2.51a I+F 1.92a 1.67a 1.64a 1.74a 3.01c 2.69bc 2.09ab 2.60a 3.17b 2.60ab 2.59ab 2.79a

x 1.79a 1.54a 1.42a 1.58a 2.68a 2.50a 2.02a 2.40b 2.87a 2.41a 2.14a 2.47b

Leaf area index in 2003 year – Wskaźnik powierzchni liściowej w roku 2003

F 1.67 1.33 1.63 1.54 2.01 1.65 1.56 1.74 1.26 1.06 1.35 1.23 I 2.14 2.02 1.32 1.83 2.38 1.74 1.66 1.92 1.13 1.29 1.49 1.31 I+F 2.57 1.77 1.87 2.07 2.25 1.95 2.06 2.09 1.57 1.65 1.65 1.62

x 2.13b 1.71a 1.61a 1.81b 2.21 1.78 1.76 1.92b 1.32 1.33 1.50 1.38a F – fertilization – nawożenie , I – irrigation – nawadnianie , I+F – irrigation + fertilization – nawadnianie i nawożenie. *Means followed by the same letter or asterix do not differ significantly at p = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Średnie oznaczone tą samą literą nie różnią się istotnie wg testu Duncana na poziomie istotności α=0,05. Cultivars means were marked by italics – Kursywą oznaczono średnie z odmiany.

The analysis of variance confirmed that both rootstocks and agronomical treatments had a significant influence on yielding of the examined tree cultivars (Table 2). The significantly highest total marketable yield in all cultivars was obtained from trees on rootstock MM106. Similar results were earlier obtained by Czynczyk and Olszewska (1987). Fruit bearing was varied on rootstock M.7 and P14. Of all applied agronomical treatments fertilisation had the least positive effect on yielding, on the other hand irrigation and fertilisation combined with irrigation increased the total marketable yield. While nitrogen, especially in large doses can cause the decrease in yielding (Parynow and Piątkowski 1973), irrigation significantly in- creases total yield (Mika 1997). The same results were confirmed by Bojarski et al. (2002). The strength of the tree growth is usually expressed in its weight, and its growth intensity by its seasonal increase in comparison to its initial weight. Though it is practically im- possible to calculate the tree weight, its growth strength can be evaluated indirectly on the basis of the trunk thickness. In practise it is easier to calculate trunk cross-section area, which is much more correlated with its weight (Szczepański and Czynczyk 1979). The rela- tion of total yield to trunk cross-section area provides the information about cultivar’s productivity, which is known as fruit bearing intensity coefficient. In all cultivars it is greatly influenced by applied rootstocks, whereas in ‘Lired’ and ‘Gala’ the coefficient was also de- pendent on applied treatments. Of all the examined cultivars ‘Freedom’ had the highest fruit bearing intensity coefficient, which was shown by high yielding, small trunk cross-section 138 I. Ochmian

area in comparison to the other cultivars. The diversified influence of applied factors on the different cultivars was noted in the experiment.

Table 2. Total yield for the years 2000–2003, fruit bearing intensity coefficient and number of leaves for each fruit in the year 2003 depending on applied rootstocks and treatments Tabela 2 Suma plonu handlowego z lat 2000–2003, współczynnik intensywności owocowania oraz liczba liści przypadającą na jeden owoc w 2003 roku, w zależności od zastoso- wanej podkładki i zabiegów uprawowych ‘Lired’ ‘Freedom’ ‘Gala’ –1 –1 Treat- Total yield for 2000–2003 [kg·tree ] – Suma plonu z lat 2000–2003 [kg·drzewo ] ments Zabiegi Rootstock – Podkładka MM106 M.7 P14 x MM106 M.7 P14 x MM106 M.7 P14 x F 26.7ab 28.2bc 24.3a 26.4a 35.4b 29.6a 34.5b 33.1a 32.9ab 26.4a 29.2ab 29.5a I 34.1d 31.5cd 28.5bc 31.4b 39.0bc 35.4b 39.7c 38.0ab 49.5d 35.9bc 27.4a 37.6ab I+F 35.4d 30.6c 28.5bc 31.5b 41.9c 41.8c 38.7bc 40.8b 50.1d 41.1c 31.4ab 40.8b

x 32.1b 30.1ab 27.1a 27.8 38.8b 35.6a 37.6ab 37.3 44.2b 34.5a 29.3a 32.0

. –2 Fruit Bearing Intensity Coefficient – Współczynnik intensywności owocowania [kg cm ]

F 0.87bc 0.99d 1.00d 0.95b 1.29cd 0.99a 1.44d 1.22a 0.85a 0.75a 0.85a 0.82a I 0.82ab 0.97d 0.88bc 0.89ab 1.29cd 1.10ab 1.39d 1.25a 1.11b 1.02b 0.80a 0.99b I+F 0.80a 0.90c 0.83ab 0.84a 1.10ab 1.16bc 1.27bc 1.17a 1.04b 1.02b 0.75a 0.94ab

x 0.83a 0.95b 0.89ab 0.90 1.22ab 1.09a 1.36b 1.23 1.01b 0.93ab 0.80a 0.91

Number of leaves per one fruit in the year 2003 – Liczba liści przypadająca na 1 owoc [szt.]

F 50 51 49 50 59 69 51 60 30 40 33 34 I 70 72 40 61 66 61 43 57 25 40 49 38 I+F 79 68 62 70 65 72 59 66 36 44 49 43

x 66 64 51 60.1 63 67 51 60.6 30 41 44 38.4 F – fertilization – nawożenie , I – irrigation – nawadnianie , I+F – irrigation + fertilization – nawadnianie i nawożenie. *Means followed by the same letter or asterix do not differ significantly at p = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Średnie oznaczone tą samą literą nie różnią się istotnie wg testu Duncana na poziomie istotności α=0,05. Cultivars means were marked by italics – Kursywą oznaczono średnie z odmiany.

Total yield per area unit is closely related to the photosynthetic leaf capability. It is com- monly accepted that 25 well-developed leaves should be able to provide one fruit with all the necessary food. High density orchards should be pruned so that their crowns could achieve the best possible photosynthetic area (Starzecki and Mika 1979). This area de- cides about interception that is the amount of light taken by a given plant. There is a linear correlation between interception and dry mass produced by a tree and its fruit bearing (Mika 1987). The results of the study showed a diversified influence of the applied factors on a number of leaves per one fruit. ‘Lired’ cultivar on rootstock MM106 had the highest number of leaves per one fruit (66 pieces), while trees of the same cultivar on rootstock P14 had the lowest number of fruit (51 pieces). It was noted that ‘Freedom’ cultivar inocu- lated on rootstock M.7 had the highest number of leaves per fruit (67 pieces), whereas grown on P14 the lowest number (51 pieces). In contrast to the other cultivars, ‘Gala’ trees in- oculated on rootstock P14 had the highest fruit bearing coefficient per one fruit (44 pieces), while those on rootstock MM106 the lowest (30 pieces). The influence of irrigation and fertilisation on growth... 139

[%] 100 90 FREEDOM 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 F I F+I MM106 M.7 P14 Treatments – Zabiegi agrotechniczne Rootstock – Podkładka

[%] 100 90 80 GALA 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 F I F+I MM106 M.7 P14 Treatments – Zabiegi agrotechniczne Rootstock – Podkładka

[%] 100 90 80 LIRED 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 F I F+I MM106 M.7 P14 Treatments – Zabiegi agrotechniczne Rootstock – Podkładka Fruit size – Wielkość owoców [cm] <6.0 6.1-6.5 6.6-7.0 7.1-7.5 7.6-8.0 8.1-8.5 >8.5

Fig. 1. Percentages of marketable fruits in particular size class depending on applied rootstocks (MM106, M.7, P14) and treatments (fertilization (F), irrigation (I) and irrigation with fertilization (F+I) Rys. 1. Procentowy udział owoców handlowych w poszczególnych klasach wielkości, w zależności od zastosowanych czynników, podkładki (MM106, M.7, P14) oraz zabiegów agrotechnicznych: nawożenia (F), nawadniania (I) oraz nawożenia i nawadniania (F+I)

140 I. Ochmian

All the examined cultivars showed a similar influence of the applied treatments on the examined features; all fertilized and irrigated trees (I+F) had the highest indexes. On the basis of the achieved results (Fig.1) it was noted that ‘Lired’ had the highest percentage (on average over 50%) of fruit size class 7.1–8.0 cm, similarly to the results of Krzewińska et al. (2002). The different influence of rootstock on the examined feature was observed. The percentage of fruit from trees on rootstock MM106 was within the range of three size classes (7.1–7.5; 7.6–8.0; 8.1–8.5) and was fluctuating at about 22–27%, which amounts to 76% of the total fruit mass. Trees grown on rootstocks P14 and M.7 showed similar results within the size class 7.1–8.0. The results of the study showed that ‘Freedom’ cultivar had the highest percentage of fruit within two fruit size classes 7.6–8.0 cm and 8.1–8.5 cm (Fig. 1). The influence of rootstocks and applied treatments on percentage of fruit size class was noted. There was no presence of fruit of the lowest fruit size class among apple trees on rootstock MM106 and M.7, whereas trees grown on rootstocks P14 had a high percentage of fruit of lower size class. The fruit size class was increasing under the influence of irrigation and fertilization, however fertilization on its own in fact stopped the increase of total fruit mass in higher size classes. Similar results were earlier obtained by Pacholak (1983) and Gu- darowska and Sosna (2001). All fruit from ‘Gala’ cultivar were characterized by a very low fruit size class, with majority of the fruit mass in size classes up to 8.0 cm. No significant differences were observed in the percentage of fruit in these size classes. However the diversified influence of rootstocks on a given feature was noted. Apple trees on rootstock P14 did not produce fruit of the size class above 8.1 cm. Rootstock M.7 was the only one that increased fruit of the higher size class. The highest influence of applied treatments was also noted among trees on rootstock M.7. Fertilized trees yielded fruit of the lowest size class, on the other side irrigation increased the percentage of fruit size class above 7.6 cm . Only the irrigated trees on rootstock M.7 produced fruit of the higher diameter.

CONCLUSIONS

1. ‘Lired’ cultivar was characterized by the weakest growth in canopy volume independently of the applied rootstocks and agronomical treatments. ‘Gala’ cultivar showed the lowest leaf area index and low number of leaves per one fruit. 2. In the natural environment of Szczecin apple trees grown on rootstock MM106 yielded best, and ‘Freedom’ cultivar was characterized by the best fruit bearing intensity coefficient. 3. Of all the applied treatments only fertilization combined with irrigation and irrigation influenced positively on the trees growth and yielding by about 15 to 38% in comparison to the trees which were only fertilized. 4. All the examined cultivars yielded over 50% of its fruit within size class 7.1–8.0 cm. Fer- tilizing of the trees increased the percentage of lower size class fruit ( 6.1–7.0 cm), while fertilization and irrigation at the same time significantly increased the yielding of fruit of higher weight. The diversified influence of rootstocks was observed. The influence of irrigation and fertilisation on growth... 141

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Streszczenie. W pracy określono siłę wzrostu, intensywność owocowania oraz wielkość i jako- ści plonów drzew kilku odmian jabłoni, uszlachetnionych na trzech typach podkładek półkarło- wych, w zależności od zastosowanych zabiegów agrotechnicznych, nawożenia (obiekt kontrolny), nawadniania oraz jednoczesnego nawadniania i nawożenia. Doświadczenie przeprowadzono w latach 2000–2003. Materiał doświadczalny stanowiły drzewa odmian ‘Lired’, ‘Freedom’ oraz ‘Gala’, okulizowane na podkładkach półkarłowych MM106, M.7 oraz P14. Najsłabszym wzro- stem charakteryzowała się odmiana ‘Lired’, natomiast najlepiej plonowała odmiana ‘Freedom’, która charakteryzowała się również największym współczynnikiem intensywności owocowania. Na masę plonu handlowego oraz procentowy udział dużych owoców największy wpływ miała pod- kładka MM 106. Stwierdzono również większy udział owoców dużych z drzew jednocześnie na- wadnianych i nawożonych.