Apple Tree: High Density Apple Plantations: Why?

In my previous blogs I discussed about high density plantation and rootstocks, clonal rootstocks. Though I have written about the productivity, but farmers must understand what does this productivity means? For this purpose I tried to compare the area harvested, production and yield for 2006 to 2010 (five years) for six countries Viz. China, France, India, Italy, New Zealand and USA. Graphs prepared for visualizing the impact of high productivity. You can go through these graphs and then decide why HDP is necessary? The data was obtained from www.fao.org (FAOSTAT).

The data presented above indicates that India possesses second largest acrage under apple plants among the six countries compared, where as Italy possesses only one sixth of its acrage but when production is compared with, India and Italy has at par production. France shows maximum productivity and India shows lowest productivity. Further our orchards are becoming old and senile that warrents us to move with a planing and that too we have to face replant. We have only one option if we want to maintain our production or enhance the production and quality i.e. HDP.

In coming posts I shall be discussing about training systems for HDP Apple.

Apple Tree: High Density Plantation: Apple Rootstock

This post is in continuation to my previous post on High Density Plantation: Advantages of smaller trees.

What is rootstock?

Rootstock is the root system and a small proportion of the lower trunk of most apple trees. Grafting the genetically distinct fruiting part of the tree, the scion, on the rootstock forms whole tree. Occasionally a third genetically distinct component, an interstock or interstem, is grafted between rootstock and scion.

Why rootstocks are used?

Its really difficult to propagate the scions directly, but the rootstocks can be propagated easily that’s why rootstocks are used in apple propagation whether seedling or clonal rootstocks. Next question comes to the mind that why clonal rootstocks when seedling rootstocks are available and are propagated easily. Its true that seedling rootstocks can be propagated easily but these vary in genetic make up because its a sexual propagule, therefore it is bound to produce a different reaction to the scion. This means that you can not expect the plant to produce the same quality as of the parent. Whereas the clonal rootstock is produced through vegetative means thus have same genetic print that gives assurance that reaction to the scion will be the same that means there is most likely same quality of the plants and fruits can be produced.

In coming post I shall be discussing about Advantages of clonal rootstocks