Rootstocks for Propagating Prunus Selections

Abstract

Fifty selections of Prunusspecies, varieties and hybrids, obtained from commercial nurseries, agricultural experiment stations and the Morton Aboretum, Lisle, Illinois, were fall-budded on 2-year-old stocks. Since the supply of certain rootstocks was limited, the appropriate rootstocks for a selection were chosen on the basis of taxonomic relationships after Rehder, **although it was intended that each selection be budded on all the rootstocks. Accordingly, Prunusselections of the plum type (Subgenus Prunophora) were budded on seedling rootstocks of four species: Myrobalan plum ( P. cerasiferaEhrh.), peach ( P. Persica(L.) Batsch.), American plum ( P. americanaMarsh.), and Japanese plum ( P. salicinaLindl.). Cherry types of Subgenus Cerasus were budded on American plum, Mahaleb cherry ( P. MahalebL.), and Manchu cherry ( P. tomentosaThunb.) seedling rootstocks. The peach and almond types of Subgenus Amygdalus were budded on peach, Myrobalan plum and Japanese plum seedling rootstocks. The selections of Subgenus Padus were budded on American plum and Mahaleb and Manchu cherry seedling rootstocks. Interspecific hybrids were budded on the widest possible range of rootstocks, considering the supply of scions and rootstocks available. Five replications of the stions (rootstock-scion combination) were budded on Mahaleb cherry, three replications on Myrobalan plum, two replications on peach and American plum, and only one tree was budded using Manchu cherry and Japanese plum rootstocks.