Graft compatibility between peach cultivars and Rootpac series rootstocks

Stone fruit breeding programs recently have released considerable numbers of both rootstocks and cultivars. Peach rootstock breeding is very important, not only for peach production, but also for other fruit species such as almond, apricot and plum. New rootstocks have been considered to be important in peach production for promoting high productivity, vigour control, re-planting conditions and better soil adaptation, Performance of commercial cultivars on new rootstocks must be also known to provide a good anatomical bridge between rootstock and scion. In this study, graft unions of combinations such as ‘Spring Lady’ and ‘Elegant lady’ peach cultivars, and ‘Caldesi 2000’and ‘Sweet Lady’ nectarine cultivars grafted on Rootpac-R, Rootpac-90, Rootpac-70, Rootpac-40, Rootpac-20 were anatomically observed via microscopic monitoring in the first and fourth month after grafting and macroscopically in twelfth month after grafting. Callus and cambium cells and vascular differentiation were observed in the end of the fourth month after grafting. There was no starch accumulation in the graft union and scion in a year after grafting in all combinations.