TRAINING SYSTEMS OF KLAMT CLING PEACH: PERFORMANCE AFTER 8 YEARS - IV Contribution

At the end of the 8^th year the free shape (free central leader) had good early bearing and better exploited available space per tree with yields 28–40% higher than the others.

Delayed vase and early palmette evidenced satisfactory and high early bearing respectively. They showed very high yield efficiencies, but poor space utilization. Theoretically, these two shapes might permit an increase in density planting (to 753 for the former and to 873 for the latter), yielding on this basis much more than the free central leader (32 vs. 23 t/ha).

The open center vase showed low early bearing and yield efficiency and it is consequently unsuitable for h.d.p. due to its large canopy.

The California vase showed good tree efficiency and had the same yields as the other two vases, although early bearing capacity was low.

The regular palmette had yields comparable to those of the early palmette, but showed low early bearing.

Generally this trial proved that, at pretty low density planting, only the expanded canopies with a high percentage of covered ground area led to yields greater than the hedgerow shapes, albeit lower than the potential productivity of the peach orchard as a whole.

Hence the preference for m.d.p. and semi-free training systems, e.g. low delayed vase, early palmette and spindelbush. The problems connected with complete mechanization of cling peach orchard management must be resolved on the basis of the new intensive growing methods currently being adopted throughout the peach industry.