scholarly journals High-density Apple Orchard Performance on an Orchard Replant Site: An 11-year Summary

2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.R. Unrath

High-density apple (Malus domestica) orchard management techniques and productivity were evaluated on an old orchard replant site in North Carolina. Trees were planted at 5 × 10 ft (1.5 × 3.0 m), giving a tree density of 871 trees/acre (2152 trees/ha). Well-branched `Smoothee Golden Delicious' trees on `Mark' rootstock were planted in 1990. Orchard-management factors which increased cumulative yield were supplemental irrigation (+21%), slender spindle training (+19%), preplant tree-hole fumigation (+11%), and fumigation + postplant mefenoxam (Ridomil) collar drench (+17%). Collectively, these factors increased cumulative yield by 55%. Supplemental irrigation was the only treatment to significantly impact fruit quality, increasing average fruit size by 20% over the 11-year study.

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 167-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mészáros ◽  
J. Sus ◽  
L. Laňar ◽  
J. Náměstek

AbstractTwo growing systems were compared – slender spindle and modified slender spindle, supplemented with or without additional summer pruning. The trial was carried out in orchard of the apple variety ‘Topaz’ in years 2012–2014. The assessed parameters were: trunk cross sectional area (TCSA), crown volume, number of cuts, dry matter weight of pruned wood, cumulative yield, yield efficiency, and relative occurrence of size classes of fruits. The objective was to confirm the hypothesized advantages of modified slender spindle in the period of increasing yields. Based on statistical analysis there was no significant difference among systems in growth measured by TCSA. Increase in crown cubage was the highest on slender spindle with additional summer pruning. The lowest increase of crown cubage was on modified spindle without summer pruning. Number of winter cuts and similarly dry weight was significantly higher on the modified spindle only in 2013. Additional summer pruning influenced both the above-mentioned parameters. There were no significant differences in cumulative yield and yield efficiency between systems. Similarly, the difference in the occurrence of various fruit size classes was not significant. We conclude that study needs to be extended in order to confirm the suggested trends.


Author(s):  
Valerian BALAN ◽  
Igor IVANOV ◽  
Petru BALAN

The purpose of this study was to practice and improve the use of low volume crowns in a high-density system in order to obtain qualitative cherry production that would be competitive on the market and to make efficient use of the labor force. The research was carried out in the intensive cherry orchard planted in the autumn of 2011 with “Ferrovia”, “Kordia”, and “Regina” varieties, grafted on Gisela 6 (Prunus cerasus × Prunus canescens) rootstock interspaced at 4x2.5 m and managed according to the Ameliorated natural crown systems with low volume, Ameliorated Slender Spindle and Vase shaped crown. Harvest, diameter, firmness, dry matter content and fruit weight were determined. The trees started to yield in the third year after planting. The harvest in the second year of yielding was 4-5 kg/tree. The average harvest in the third year of yielding was 9640-13290 kg/ha. For all three varieties the harvested quantity and fruit size were correlated with the crown shape. The Ameliorated Slender Spindle crown provided the highest production per hectare, while the Flattened Vase Shaped crown provided the lowest yield but had the highest values of the fruit size (28.2-28.4 mm) and of the soluble dry matter in the fruit (17.9-18.6 Brix%).


HortScience ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl R. Hampson ◽  
Harvey A. Quamme ◽  
Robert T. Brownlee

In 1993, a planting of virus-free 'Royal Gala' apple (Malu×domestica Borkh.) on 'M.9' rootstock was established at Summerland, B.C., Canada, to determine whether angled-canopy training systems could improve orchard tree performance relative to slender spindles. The trees were trained in one of five ways: slender spindle (SS), Geneva Y-trellis (GY), a modified Solen training we called 'Solen Y-trellis' (SY), or V-trellis (LDV), all at the same spacing (1.2 m × 2.8 m), giving a planting density of 2976 trees/ha. In addition, a higher density (7143 trees/ha) version of the V-trellis (HDV) was planted to gauge the performance of this system at densities approaching those of local super spindle orchards. The plots were drip-irrigated and hand-thinned. No summer pruning was done. After 8 years, differences among training systems at the same density and spacing were small and few. The two Y-shaped training systems had 11% to 14% greater cumulative yield/ha than the SS, but did not intercept significantly more light at maturity. No consistent differences occurred in fruit size or the percentage of fruit with delayed color development among the four training systems at the same density. Relative to the LDV, the HDV yielded less per tree, but far more per hectare, particularly in the first 3 years. After 8 years, the cumulative yield/ha was still 65% greater than with LDV. Yield efficiency was unaffected by tree density. Fruit size on HDV ranked lowest among the systems nearly every year, but was still commercially acceptable. The HDV intercepted more light (73%) than SS (53%). The percentage of fruit with delayed color development in HDV was not significantly different from that for LDV in most years. The trees in HDV were difficult to contain within their allotted space without summer pruning. The substantially similar performance of all the training systems (at a given density, and with minimal pruning) suggests that cost and ease of management should be the decisive factors when choosing a tree training method.


HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 246d-246
Author(s):  
Raymond L. Granger ◽  
Shahrokh Khanizadeh ◽  
Yvon Groleau

In experimental plots established in 1989, `Spencer', `Empire', `MacSpur', and `Lobo' trees grafted on the in vitro-propagated Ottawa 3 (0.3) rootstock were trained in the triple axis and in the slender spindle systems. They were planted at 5 (between rows) × 2.04 m and laid out in a split plot array with four replicates. There were five trees per subplot unit. All trees were trickle-irrigated every year. Fruit thinning was chemically done for the first time in 1993. Trees from this experiment came into bearing in 1991, and their total cumulative yield was significantly superior in the case of trees of the Spindlebush system. Since no interactions were found, we cannot conclude that any given combination is better than the others. `Lobo', which has averaged nearly 21 tonnes/ha per tree, was best in terms of total cumulative yield and also in terms of yield efficiency. `MacSpur' and `Empire' were the second best ones in yield efficiency, and `Spencer' was significantly lower. Fruit size was very good for all combinations in 1993. At their fifth-leaf stage in 1993, the yield of `Empire' trees from this experiment was higher by an average of more than 1 kg per tree than that of comparable trees of conventionally propagated O.3 trees planted in adjacent test plots. The tree vigor of the micropopagated O.3 trees was better than that of the conventionally propagated ones as revealed by the trees' trunk and canopy development. However, a few trees exhibited slight burr-knot growth on their trunk. This has never been observed on the conventionally propagated O.3 rootstock.


HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 749d-749
Author(s):  
Michael L. Parker ◽  
Eric Young

Managing vegetative growth in higher density apple systems in the Southeast can be difficult due to the longer growing season. This study was initiated in 1990 to evaluate leader management techniques that have commercial potential for high-density systems in the Southeast. `Spur Galagored', `Jonagored', and `Red Fuji' apples on Mark root-stock were planted in the four major apple production regions of western North Carolina. The three leader management techniques evaluated were weak leader renewal, banding of the leader during the growing season (snaked leader), and leader heading with partial terminal leaf removal (H + PTLR) every 25 cm of leader growth. In the third year, branching was greatest for the snaked leader. In the fifth year, no differences in trunk cross-sectional area were detected between the leader management techniques. However, yields were significantly greater for trees managed with the snaked leader. Trees with the snaked leader yielded 44 kg/tree compared to 35 and 34 kg/tree for the H + PTLR and weak leader renewal, respectively. This illustrates that leader management techniques that use pruning or vegetation removal reduce the early production required of profitable high-density systems.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 451e-451
Author(s):  
J.R. Schupp ◽  
S.I. Koller

`Cortland'/M.9 EMLA trees were planted in 1991 at 1.8 ×4.2-m spacing. The trees were trained to one of four systems: 1) Vertical Axis; 2) Y trellis; 3) Solen; or 4) Palmette trellis. Tree survival was 86% for Palmette trees and approached 100% for the other three systems. Annual yield and cumulative yield per tree of Vertical Axis and Y trellis was twice that of Solen or Palmette. Tree vigor was sub-optimal relative to planting distance in this study. Trunk cross-sectional area of Vertical Axis trees was larger than that of trees trained to Solen or Palmette, while trees trained to Y trellis were intermediate in trunk growth. Canopy volumes of Vertical Axis and Y trellis trees were similar, and greater than that of Solen or Palmette trees. Fruit size on Solen and Palmette trees was larger than that of Y trellis trees in 1995 and 1996, while fruit size on Vertical Axis trees was intermediate. Cumulative yield per cubic meter of canopy volume was the same for all four systems, suggesting that differences in productivity among systems were attributable to the effects of tree training practices on tree size, not to differences among systems in precocity or efficiency. The low heading cut needed to establish the lowest tier of branches on the Palmette system reduced tree vigor and in some cases, resulted in mortality. The horizontal training of the primary branches of the Solen severely reduced tree vigor. In this study, where tree vigor was sub-optimal due to rootstock selection, the additional restrictions in tree growth resulting from restrictive training methods resulted in a significant loss in productivity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ersin ATAY ◽  
Seckin GARGIN ◽  
Ahmet ESITKEN ◽  
N. Pinar GUZEL ◽  
A. Nilgun ATAY ◽  
...  

Orchard performance is influenced by weed competition. In this study, the effects of weed competition on nutrient contents, chemical and physical fruit quality properties were sought. The study was carried out in a high-density apple orchard (‘Golden Delicious’/M.9) over two consecutive growing seasons. The effect of weed competition was studied at three different levels: weak, moderate and strong. Fruit firmness, soluble solids content, macronutrients (such as nitrogen, potassium and calcium) and potassium+magnesium/calcium ratio in fruit were significantly affected by weed competition. Strong weed competition negatively affected soluble solids content and potassium+magnesium/calcium ratio. In both trial years, soluble solids content was significantly higher in weak weed competition. In the first year of the study, soluble solids content ranged between 13.77±0.06% (strong weed competition) and 15.20±0.10% (weak weed competition). In the following year, soluble solids content values were determined as 13.13±0.23% in strong weed competition and 13.83±0.21% in weak weed competition. Weak weed competition showed superiority for fruit weight and potassium+magnesium/calcium ratio. As a whole, this study indicates that insufficient weed control in tree rows might be a limiting factor for fruit quality in high-density apple orchards.


HortScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Lexie McClymont ◽  
Ian Goodwin ◽  
Desmond Whitfield ◽  
Mark O’Connell ◽  
Susanna Turpin

Vegetative growth, orchard productivity, fruit quality and marketable yield were evaluated for rootstock (D6, BP1 and Quince A), tree density (741–4444 trees/ha), and training system (Open Tatura trellis, two-dimensional vertical and three-dimensional traditional) effects on young trees of the blush pear cultivar ‘ANP-0131’. ‘ANP-0131’ is a vigorous scion and vegetative growth, precocity, and yield were influenced by the selected rootstocks. Tree density and training system treatments exerted a substantial effect on canopy radiation interception while increasing tree density improved yield. Increasing tree density from 2222 (high density) to 4444 (ultra-high density) trees/ha did not improve cumulative yield. Crop load affected fruit size, such that “marketable” yield (yield of fruit weighing between 150 and 260 g) was greatest for trees on D6 rootstock and trained to Open Tatura trellis at high and ultra-high densities.


2003 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 41-51
Author(s):  
G.B. Douglas ◽  
T.N. Barry ◽  
N.A. Faulknor ◽  
P.D. Kemp ◽  
A.G. Foote ◽  
...  

Tree willow (Salix matsudana x alba) clone 'Tangoio' has potential as supplementary feed for livestock in summer/autumn drought. A trial was conducted in Hawke's Bay to determine the effect of planting stock (1.1 m stakes, 2 m poles) and cutting height (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m) on edible (leaf + stem < 5 mm diameter) and total tree biomass in 2002 and 2003. Tangoio was also established progressively in high density (4,000-6,900 stems/ha) browse fodder blocks in Wairarapa using 0.75 m stakes, and the trees were browsed with sheep in summer 2003, when the blocks were aged 1-3 years. Total tree yield in all trials ranged from 0.12 to 2.29 t DM/ha/ yr, of which 30-50% was edible. Trees cut to 0.5 m above ground often yielded more (P < 0.05) than those cut at 0.25 m. Tangoio established well in the browse blocks but its biomass was < 20% of that of the understorey pasture. Best management techniques for coppice and browse blocks are recommended. Keywords: willow; supplementary feed; soil conservation; defoliation; tree-pasture systems


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