YIELD Earliness OF APPLE CULTIVARS GRAFTED ONTO TWO DIFFERENT ROOTSTOCKS

ABSTRACT

In competition assays, many factors are evaluated aiming the differentiation of apple cultivars and to undertake the use of recommendations. Regarding productive performance, cultivars that exhibit regular yields throughout the years, produce regularly over the years and have higher cumulative fruit yield, stand out over other cultivars. The present study was carried out along six harvesting seasons to determine yield precocity by means of the application of an earliness index and the cumulative fruit yield of nine apple cultivars grafted onto two different rootstocks. The highest indexes for yield earliness were presented by the cultivars Daiane, Mishima and Fuji Select grafted onto the M-9 rootstock and by the cultivars Fuji Suprema, Daiane and Gala Real cultivars grafted onto the Marubakaido/M-9 rootstock. ‘Baigent’ and ‘Cripps Pink’, grafted onto M-9, and ‘Maxi-Gala’, ‘Baigent’, ‘Daiane’ and ‘Gala Real’, grafted onto Marubakaido/M-9, had higher cumulative yields after six harvesting seasons. The cultivars ‘Daiane’ and ‘Gala Real’, grafted onto Marubakaido/M-9, presented better performances for both investigated parameters: earliness index of fruit yields and cumulative fruit yields. The earliness index for fruit yield is an important parameter to distinguish apple cultivars, along with other characteristics, such as production and fruit quality.

Index terms
Malus x domestica ; cultivars; competition assay; earliness index; cumulative yield