Leaf Plant Nutrient Content and Sapling Growth of ‘Transvalia’ Peach Variety Grafted On Prunus Rootstocks

Abstract

In peach cultivation, there is an increasing interest in breeding rootstock suitable for intensive planting and for use in calcareous and poor soils. This study was carried out to test the performance of some promising Prunus rootstocks for ‘Transvalia’ peach variety. A total of 16 rootstocks obtained by interspecies hybridization from different origins were used for ‘Transvalia’ peach variety. Rootstock diameter, scion diameter, sapling height, rootstock scion ratio, leaf chlorophyll contents and leaf plant nutrient contents were analyzed. Results showed that the level of the majority of macro- and micro-elements was found to be sufficient. Leaf chlorophyll contents of ‘Transvalia’ peach cultivar grafted on stronger rootstocks such as GN-22, FG-58 and NGF-14 were found to be the highest. It has been determined that FG-16 rootstock is 40% more dwarf in terms of seedling growth strength compared to GN-22 rootstock in the Mediterranean climate zone. There were significant differences between rootstocks in terms of scion leaf chylorphyll content (SPAD values). The highest leaf chlorophyll contents were found in ‘Transvalia’ peach variety grafted on GN-22 (48.22), FG-58 (47.75) and NGF-14 (47.14), which are strong rootstocks. No correlation was found between growth strength and leaf plant nutrients. However, it has been determined that strong growing rootstocks can give positive results in lower quality soils.