Sweet Cherry Rootstocks and Varieties

Sweet Cherry Rootstocks and Varieties
Lynn E. Long
Oregon State University
Why Grow Sweet Cherries?
• Potential monetary opportunities
• New rootstocks allow for
– High early yields
– Quick return on investment
• New varieties
– Reduce risk for rain cracking
– Extend season potentially increasing
returns
Choices
• Rootstock
• Varieties
• Training System
Presentation Outline
• Living with Standard Rootstocks
• Gisela Management
– How to work with Gisela and other
dwarfing rootstocks
• Expanding my variety portfolio
Mazzard/Mahaleb*
• Positive Attributes
– Adapted to wide
range of soils – light
to heavy
– Wide varietal
acceptance
– Large fruit*
– Moderately
productive*
• * Traits apply to Mahaleb
Mazzard, Mahaleb
• Negative
Attributes
– vigorous growth
– Very large trees
– Low precocity
Rootstock Realities
• Tree size vs. fruit
size
• Dwarf trees must be
carefully managed
• Mazzard preferred
Bing/
Pontaleb
Lapins/
Edabriz
Living with Standard Rootstocks
Main effects for yield and average fruit weight of
summer pruned ‘Sweetheart’ sweet cherry trees
Treatment
Yield (kg)
Av fruit wt. (g)
Control
12.8
8.4
Pre-harvest 1/3
19.2
8.0
Pre-harvest 2/3
13.3
8.1
Post-harvest 1/3
15.9
7.8
Post-harvest 2/3
11.5
8.3
Post-harvest thin
11.8
8.5
Data by F. Kappel
Promalin response
• Apply at green tip
• 1:3 promalin to
paint
• Increases precocity
• Long branches must
be headed
• Inconsistent results
Interaction between rootstock and training
technique for fruit size on fourth leaf Bing trees
Rootstock
Training
Technique
Mazzard
Promalin/
Summer
Mazzard
Dormant
Pruned
Yield
kg.
20mm
22mm
24mm
26mm
6.2
3.6
45.6
48.4
2.3
0.7
8.9
69.0
21.8
0.3
12.6
7.2
58.7
32.6
1.5
6.2
1.6
31.1
55.2
12.0
Gisela 5 Promalin/
Summer
Gisela 5 Dormant
Pruned
Data by T. Facteau
Scoring Techniques
Copper
4 year
wood
Scoring Tools
Effect of scoring tool and date on % new shoot
development with ‘Bing’/mazzard trees
Scoring
tool
Scoring
date
# limbs
scored
Scored
buds/limb
Scored
buds
broken (%)
2 blade
20
14.9
59.2
Grape
20
13.4
57.7
Saw
19
14.2
67.9
9/3
dormant
14
12.9
63.6 a
21/3 green
tip
15
13.3
75.6 a
7/4
15
14.7
73.2 a
17/4 leaves 15
15.7
28.9 b
Standard vs. Dwarfing
• Some prefer
Mazzard
• Advantages to dwarf
• 20 years of testing
–
–
–
–
–
Gisela
Gembloux
MxM
Weiroot
Etc, etc.
Sales of cherry trees on various rootstocks in the
Mid-Columbia region of Oregon, 1998 vs. 2001
Rootstock
% trees sold
1998
Estimated %
trees sold 2001
Mazzard
71
40
Gisela 5
19.2
10
Weiroot 158
3.6
Gisela 7
3.3
Gisela 6
2.9
50
Standard density = 5x6 m Mazzard
High density = 3x5 m Gisela
Comparing the Economic and Cash Costs to Establish a
Standard and High Density Sweet Cherry Orchard
in Wasco County, Oregon.
$10,000
$6,000
$2,000
-$2,000
-$6,000
-$10,000
-$14,000
-$18,000
Economic Costs, Standard
Density
Cash Flow, Standard Density
Economic Costs, High Density
Cash Flow, High Density
0
1
2
3 4
5
6
7 8
Economic Costs = planting
costs, labor, fertilizer,
chemicals, harvest costs
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Cash Flow = interest costs,
depreciation, return on investments
Criteria for selection
•
•
•
•
Fruit size
Precocity
Tree size
Virus tolerant
Gisela 5, 6 and 12
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tested OSU, WSU
Gisela 5: 50%-70%
Gi 6 & 12: 70-90%
Precocious
Good fruit size
Wide branch angles
Virus tolerant
Site conditions
Gi 5 – avoid replant
sites
A compilation of fruit size and tree yield on 4th through
6th leaf Bing trees grown on several rootstocks
Rootstock
6th leaf
trunk
area
cm2
Cumulative
<12
yield kg row
12 row
11 row
10
row+
Mazzard 152.3
35.3
1.4
22.2
32.0
44.4
Gisela 5
93.2
49.9
1.4
19.1
30.3
49.2
Gisela 6
156.9
56.8
0.4
15.2
36.3
48.2
Gisela 12 114.5
57.2
0.9
17.3
33.7
48.1
Gisela management
• Fruit size = leaf to
fruit ratio
• Change mindset
from mazzard
• Gi 6 Recommended
spacing
– 3x6 Central Leader
– 4x6 Steep Leader
– 2.5x6 Spanish Bush
Gisela Management
• Maintain tree vigor
– Fertilization
• 2x
• 50 lbs/Acre
– Dormant prune
• Last seasons
• Older wood
• Balance important
Effect of pruning on yield & av. fruit weight (2
years) using mazzard, MxM 60, Gi 6,11 and 196/4
Heading
cut
1997
1997 Av.
yield
Fruit wt.
(kg/tree) (g)
1998
1998
yield
yield
(kg/tree) (kg/tree)
Yes
34.9 a
9.2 a
20.2 b
10.0 a
No
36.8 a
9.0 a
39.6 a
9.3 b
Data by F. Kappel
Fruit thinning
• Spur thinning
Rootstock/Variety Issues Complicated
• No longer issue of simply planting Bing on
Mahaleb
• Must consider rootstock/variety interactions
• Some varieties may not work well with
dwarfing rootstocks
– Sweetheart
– Lapins
– Chelan
Why Complicate the Issue?
• Avoid mid-season
surplus
• Increase returns?
• Extend harvest –
reduce labor
demands
Chelan
Tieton
Bing
Lapins
Sweetheart
Sonata
32mm
Bing
27mm
PNW New Variety Selection Criteria
•
•
•
•
•
Firmness
Harvest timing
Cracking resistance
Size
Flavor
Days + or - Bing
-12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Chelan -12 to -10
Tieton -9 to -6
Bing
Rainier .+4
Attika +10
Lapins +10 to +14
Skeena +14
Regina
Sweetheart +21
Days + or - Bing
-12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Chelan -12 to -10
Tieton -9 to -6
Bing
Rainier .+4
Attika +10
Lapins +10 to +14
Skeena +14
Regina
Sweetheart +21
Days + or - Bing
-12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Chelan -12 to -10
Tieton -9 to -6
Bing
Rainier .+4
Attika +10
Lapins +10 to +14
Skeena +14
Regina
Sweetheart +21
Days + or - Bing
-12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Chelan -12 to -10
Tieton -9 to -6
Bing
Rainier .+4
Attika +10
Lapins +10 to +14
Skeena +14
Regina
Sweetheart +21
Days + or - Bing
-12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Chelan -12 to -10
Tieton -9 to -6
Bing
Rainier .+4
Attika +10
Lapins +10 to +14
Skeena +14
Regina
Sweetheart +21
BLOOM TIMING
COMPATIBILITY
GROUP *
Group I (S1S2)
Early
Early-Mid
Group II (S1S3)
Group III (S3S4)
Group V (S3S5)
Somerset
Chelan
Burlat
Mid-Season
Van
Regina
Cristalina (later?) Oktavia
Olympus
Bing
Lambert
Royal Ann
Tieton
Group VI (S3S6)
Hartland
Group IX (S1S4)
Rainier
Blk. Republican
Royalton
Group XIII (S2S4)
Unknown (S3Sy )
Self-fertile
Universal Pollinizer
Mid-Late
Summit
Lapins
Stella
Sweetheart Symphony
Index
Skeena
Liberty Bell
Glacier
Attika
Gold
Hudson
Sam
Schneiders
Staccato
Cashmere
Sonata
Sandra Rose
Columbia
Chelan
• 10 – 12 days < Bing
• Fruit size?
• Has been well
accepted by buyers
• Rain tolerance
• Pollinizers: Bing,
Van, B.R., Lapins,
Sweetheart
• Very productive
• Rootstock: Mazzard
Tieton
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6 – 9 days before Bing
Beautiful & very large
Rain crack susceptible
Mild flavor
Blooms just before Bing
Low Productivity
Multiple Pollinizers:
Index, Bing, Van,
Rainier
• Gisela 5, 6, (12?)
Bing
Tieton
Kordia
•
•
•
•
•
•
10 – 14 days > Bing
27 mm
Firm, solid texture
Very good flavor
Fruit keeps well
Blooms late: Regina,
Symphony, Sandra Rose,
Hedelfingen, Sam
• Mazzard or Gisela’s
Lapins
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
14 + days after Bing
Large and firm
Excellent flavor
Rain tolerant
Self-fertile
Mazzard, Gisela’s (?)
Can we learn to
grow and harvest
correctly?
Skeena
•
•
•
•
14 days + after Bing
Larger than Lapins
Better than Lapins?
Firm fruit in cool or
hot conditions
• Self-fertile
• Very productive and
precocious.
• Mazzard.
Regina
• Between Lapins &
Sweetheart.
• Large and firm
• Pleasant, mild flavor
• Rain tolerant
• Blooms late
• Low productivity
• Multiple Pollinizers:
Kordia, Symphony,
Schneiders, Sam, Gold
• Gisela 5, 6 or 12
Sweetheart
• 21 + days after Bing
• 25 mm, firm
• Nice flavor when
ripe
• limited tolerance to
rain
• Blooms before Bing
• Self-fertile
• Very productive
• Mazzard