THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT 'BALTIC FRUIT ROOTSTOCK STUDIES'

Abstract

In 1998, an International Research Project was started, aimed at investigating the use of apple, pear and plum dwarfing and semi-dwarfing rootstocks in the Baltic States and Byelorussia. Most of the rootstock types tested are already used in Western Europe. However, these are often new for East European countries. The planting material for these trials was grown in a fruit nursery at the Pure Horticultural Research Station. For this purpose, in the spring of 1998 and 1999, 12 apple rootstocks, 7 pear rootstocks, 8 clonal rootstocks and 9 generative rootstocks for plum were planted. The apple rootstocks were budded with two scion cultivars: 'Auksis' and 'Belorusskoye Malinovoye'. For the pear rootstocks, the local cultivar 'Suvenirs' was used. The plum rootstocks were budded with the early ripening cultivar 'Kometa Kubanskaya' (an East Asian type plum) and the late ripening 'Victoria' (domestic plum). The results of budding, the growth of the maiden trees, and the numbers of trees produced were determined in nursery. In spring of 2001, the trees of these cultivar/rootstock combinations were, according to unified methodology, planted for trials in the orchards of the scientific institutions participants in the project.