Growth of Budded, Containerized, Citrus Nursery Plants when Photosynthesis of Rootstock Shoots Is Limited

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of rootstock shoot defoliation or shading on growth during the first two scion flushes of budded, containerized, citrus nursery trees. Both experiments were conducted in a greenhouse with Cleopatra mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) and Swingle citrumelo [C. paradisi (L.) Osb. × Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.] seedlings budded with `Hamlin' orange [C. sinensis (L.) Osb.]. Scion buds were forced by cutting off the rootstock shoots above the bud union or by bending the rootstock shoots and tying them to the base of the plants (bending). In one experiment, shoots from both rootstocks that were forced by bending received one of four defoliation treatments: treatments were 0%, 40%, 60%, or 85% (based on leaf area) defoliation for Cleopatra and 0%, 30%, 60%, or 100% defoliation for Swingle. In the second experiment, rootstock shoots of plants forced by bending were subjected to a maximum photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) of 820, 225, 90, or 30 μmol·m–2·s–1. Growth of Cleopatra plants declined linearly with increasing levels of rootstock shoot defoliation. When rootstock shoot defoliation was ≤40%, whole-plant (minus rootstock shoot) dry weights were higher for plants forced by bending than for those forced by cutting off rootstock shoots. For Swingle, most growth responses to rootstock shoot defoliation were curvilinear. Higher levels of rootstock shoot defoliation resulted in less growth than lower defoliation levels. Low PPF reduced whole-plant (minus rootstock shoot) and root dry weights for both rootstocks compared to high PPF. For Cleopatra, whole-plant and scion dry weights were highest at the highest PPF. For Swingle, whole-plant and scion dry weights were highest at 225 μmol·m–2·s–1. For both rootstocks, plants forced by bending had higher dry weights at 820 and 225 μmol·m–2·s–1 than plants forced by cutting off the rootstock shoots. For Swingle, most of the reduction in scion growth from rootstock shoot defoliation occurred during the first scion flush. Our results suggest that recently produced rootstock shoot photosynthates are the primary source of greater plant growth achieved by bending compared to cutting off rootstock shoots.