Yield, tree size and fruit quality effects of 22 rootstocks on ‘Nules’ clementine in California

M.L. Roose, C.T. Federici
Clementines are a relatively new crop in California and there have been few trials to evaluate their performance on different rootstocks. We report results of a trial of ‘Nules’ clementine on 22 rootstocks conducted at the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center in the San Joaquin Valley at 10 years after planting. Yield and packline data were collected annually in November or December between 2014 and 2021. All fruit from each tree were analyzed on the packline, and juice from 10 fruit per tree was analyzed. Trees in the trial were netted during flowering after 2015. The highest cumulative yields were obtained from trees on C-35 citrange followed by Bitters, Carrizo and Australian trifoliate #22. Volk, Macrophylla, and Schaub rough lemon had high yields for the first two years but lower yields in most later years. Although canopy volume differed significantly among rootstocks, it was not correlated with cumulative yield, perhaps because trees were pruned annually. Rootstocks also influenced internal and external fruit quality, generally in similar ways to their effects on sweet oranges. Rootstock influenced fruit size, color and maturity. Overall, this trial provides a deep and rich data set to explore the main and interactive effects of rootstocks on citrus tree performance.
Roose, M.L. and Federici, C.T. (2024). Yield, tree size and fruit quality effects of 22 rootstocks on ‘Nules’ clementine in California. Acta Hortic. 1399, 221-226
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1399.27
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1399.27
mandarin, fruit quality, yield performance, canopy management
English
1399_27
221-226

Acta Horticulturae