PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF SELF-ROOTED AND GRAFTED PLANTS IN PERSIAN WALNUT

M. Rovira, N. Aletà
Walnut propagation is one of the limitations to expanding the crop of this species. The production of grafted material is expensive and needs time. This situation seems to be changing, nowadays it is possible to get self-rooted material, in vitro, of the most important cultivars. However, information on the performance of these materials in orchards is not well known. In order to evaluate walnut production according the origin of the material (self-rooted or grafted), in February 1999, two trials were planted, one with ‘Chander’ cv. and the other with ‘Vina’ cv. in Gimenells, Lleida (North-West Spain). Both cultivars showed a different behaviour in growth between self rooted and grafted. ‘Vina’ cv. did not show any differences during the juvenile period, however, after the 8th leaf self-rooted material showed higher values. ‘Chandler’ cv. presented differences during the juvenile period, grafted material having better growth, although the difference disappeared at the 8th leaf. Important differences were observed in the phenology. The leafing out date of in vitro material was late in both cultivars; ranging from three to nine days. This gap was present also in flowering and harvest time. The different rootstock caused the male flower presence to appear some years earlier than for self-rooted material. In the first 3 harvest years, tree production of grafted plants exceeded the production of in vitro plants in both cultivars. From the 4th production year (8th leaf) the harvest of both material types was similar in ‘Chandler’ and ‘Vina’ cvs.
Rovira, M. and Aletà, N. (2010). PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF SELF-ROOTED AND GRAFTED PLANTS IN PERSIAN WALNUT. Acta Hortic. 861, 215-220
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.861.28
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.861.28
Juglans regia L., walnut, in vitro material, grafted material
English

Acta Horticulturae