Cutting propagation was the system to produce quince nursery trees (Cydonia oblonga). Experiments have been carried out in order to identify news propagations methods. As a result of this research, the 'Japonês' quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) was selected with rootstock, due to its good plant vigor for grafting, rusticity, and adequate performance in the field, mainly in the first years after planting. However, the best grafting period and grafting method must be determined for this rootstock. This research evaluated three grafting methods and five quince scion cultivars on 'Japonês' rootstock. The quince cultivars 'Provence', 'Mendoza Inta-37', 'Portugal', 'Smyrna', and 'Japonês' were grafted by winter cleft grafting, winter budding, and summer budding on 90cm long plants of 'Japonês' quince rootstock seedlings, cultivated in 3-liter plastic bags. Plant growth evaluations started as early as 60 days, and were concluded 150 days after grafting. Cleft grafting resulted in the highest graft survival rate for 'Smyrna', 'Mendoza Inta-37' and 'Japonês' cultivars. Although the higher graft survival rate was recorded in the winter, the buds grafted in the summer had better development.
Chaenomeles sinensis; Cydonia oblonga; propagation; rootstock
