Induction of Lateral Branching of Sweet Cherry and Plum in Fruit Nursery

Abstract

Modern high quality nursery trees pruning as knipboom grow and crop significantly better during the first years after planting in the orchard. High quality nursery trees perform better in the first years after plantation in the orchard than average or low quality nursery trees. Nurserymen are focused on production of such trees in the shortest time (one year). However, fruit tree species and varieties differ in their abilities to produce these trees. The goal of this work was to increase the quality and branching of one-year-old nursery trees at two plum and two sweet cherry varieties by the treatments of 12 different preparations of plant growth regulators (PGRs). Before lifting, branching and trunk parameters were recorded. Data showed that Ethephone+Putrescine+GA4+7 and Ethephone+Putrescine+6-BAP significantly increased almost all parameters at both plum varieties. Both sweet cherry varieties were sufficiently branching with Globaryl+epibrassinolide treatment, however the lateral shoots of ‘Celeste’ sweet cherry variety were of low quality. The same was observed after treatment with Progerbalin+4-CPPU+Putrescine. Sweet cherry ‘Kordia’ branched very well after Globaryl and TIBA+PBZ treatments too, however, the lateral shoots after treatment with the latter preparation were of low quality. ‘Kordia’ trees after Globaryl treatment were branched in 94% of cases with more than four lateral shoots.