EFFECT OF ROOT PRUNING ON THE QUALITY OF DURIAN (DURIO ZIBETHINUS MURR.) PLANTING MATERIAL

High mortality rate is the most serious problem in early field establishment of durian (Durio zibethinus Murr.) in Malaysia. The quality of planting materials is one of the factors known to be directly related to this problem. Therefore, an attempt was made to produce more sturdy planting material with good root systems. The results indicated that root pruning at the time of grafting effectively produced plants with good root systems with more fibrous and compact roots. Root pruning significantly increased root : shoot dry weight ratio by 22%. The study also showed that root pruning significantly increased plant sturdiness. The ratio of stem circumference : plant height increased by 13% compared to unpruned plants.