Scion-stock combinations of garden plum for intensive horticulture

Abstract

The study aimed to identify scion-stock combinations of early-maturing high-yield plum varieties and determine their cost-effectiveness. Long-term research was conducted at the Department of Fruit and Grape Genetic Resources and Breeding of the Crimean Experimental Breeding Station between 2008 and 2018. Continuous trials of scion-stock garden plum combinations during vegetation and fruiting produced optimal varieties for intensive cultivation with low- (VVA 1, Best) and mid-vigour (Kuban 86, Eureka 99, Druzhba) clone stocks. The Kubanskiy Karlik cultivar was the earliest maturing out of the VVA 1 stock cultivars, with an average yield of 7 kg/tree. Experimentally selected mid-vigour clone stocks that were found to be suitable and promising for intensive farming were Kuban 86, Eureka 99 and Druzhba. In terms of productivity and fruit size of the studied industrial varieties, the Best cultivar was selected from the low-growth clonal rootstocks using drip irrigation. The garden plum cultivars selected to be grafted on VVA 1 for intensive irrigation-based farming were: Kubanskaya Legenda, Golubaya Mechta, Sinyaya Ptitsa, Ballada, Naslednitsa, Debut, Stanley, Osenniy Suvenir. In non-irrigated areas, combinations that resulted in the highest yield (over 14 t/ha) were: Ballada/Eureka 99, Stanley/Druzhba, Sinyaya Ptitsa/Druzhba, Ballada/Druzhba, Ballada/Zarevo, Stanley/Eureka 99 and Sinyaya Ptitsa/ Eureka 99 for planting in 5×3 m plots; Kubanskaya Legenda/Best, Sinyaya Ptitsa/VSV 1 and Stanley/Best for planting in 5×1.5 m plots.