The Brazilian research had not developed until the present moment a clonal rootstock for peach tree culture with desirable agronomic characteristics, including root-knot nematode resistance, herbaceous cuttings propagation facilities and quality induction for fruits. The aim of this work is present the mume cultivar Rigitano, selected and approved to constitute a new rootstock for peach tree culture. Initially, identified as 'Clone 10', 'Rigitano' cultivar is resultant of a wide research collaboration project, carried out with clonal vegetal material coming from Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, Brazil, started in 1998 at Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Jaboticabal Campus, São Paulo State, Brazil. The selection and multiplication works began with propagation experiments with herbaceous cuttings in intermittent mist system, whose results indicated viability of the method in four year season, in Jaboticabal climatic conditions. The bud with 'Aurora-1' peach (ship budding or ship budding modified) was shown vailable in larger diameter rootstocks (± 10 mm). At field conditions, 'Rigitano' revealed to be the least vigorous comparing to the other mume's clones studied. Besides, 'Rigitano' is resistant to Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita, however, it is susceptible to Mesocriconema xenoplax. The results at field conditions, as rootstock of 'Aurora-1' peach, reveal good productivity, pomological and technological fruits qualities. The research results reveals wide possibilities of 'Rigitano' as peach tree rootstock success, with good possibilities for plantation reduction space and better quality of fruit production.
Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.; Prunus persica (L.) Batsch; stone fruits; interespecific bud; Clone 10