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- Author or Editor: Gregory L. Reighard x
Peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Peach Group)] trees bloom in response to chilling and postrest heat accumulation. The peach cultivar Coronet exposed to a graft-transmissible, infectious agent known as peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd) blooms at a different time than noninoculated trees of the same cultivar. To determine if chilling requirements differed between trees inoculated with PLMVd and noninoculated controls, fruiting shoots collected from the orchard and artificially chilled containerized trees were forced in a greenhouse. Additional artificially chilled containerized trees were forced under constant temperatures in growth chambers to determine if postrest heat accumulation requirements differed. There was no difference in the chilling requirement of the fruiting shoots collected from the field although the shoots exposed to PLMVd had a delayed response and fewer responded to greenhouse forcing conditions. The containerized trees also showed no differences in chilling requirements during winter 1999 or 2000. Trees inoculated with PLMVd had a significant delay in bloom. Growth chamber data revealed a significantly higher base temperature for heat accumulation in the PLMVd inoculated trees.
A greenhouse experiment was conducted to assess the effects of increasing aluminum concentrations on carbohydrate levels of peach. Nemaguard and Lovell peach seedlings were grown in sand culture and irrigated daily with one-fifth strength Hoaglands solution containing A1 rates of 0, 25, 50, and 100 ppm. Beginning at week 6, plants were harvested at two-week intervals over an 8-week treatment period, and tissues (root, stem, and leaf) were analyzed for soluble sugars and starch. Lovell had significantly greater concentrations of root sucrose, glucose, fructose, and sorbitol; stem glucose and fructose; and leaf sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Nemaguard contained significantly greater concentrations of root, stem, and leaf starch and total carbohydrates compared to Lovell. Increasing aluminum concentration resulted in a significant linear increase of starch in the root and stem tissue, but a quadratic response in the leaf tissue of both cultivars. Increasing rates of A1 produced a decreasing curvilinear response in the concentration of glucose and fructose in roots, stems, and leaves. Analysis across harvest dates revealed that glucose and fructose declined curvilinearly in all tissues as the treatment duration increased. Starch concentrations increased curvilinearly in the roots and stems but decreased curvilinearly in the leaves when analyzed across harvest dates.
Paclobutrazol, a triazole growth regulator, effectively regulates pecan vegetative growth when applied as a soil or trunk drench. However, its absorption and subsequent biological activity in leaves and shoot tissue is not well understood. Terminal shoots from scaffolds of 8-yr-old `Chickasaw' pecan trees were treated with paclobutrazol after leaf flush in mid-May of 1988. Treatments included painting a mixture of 10 mg a.i. paclobutrazol and 1 ml distilled water onto either 1-yr-old wood, green wood, or the abaxial leaf surface. Shoot growth measurements and nut counts were taken in October of 1988 and 1989 on the treated shoots and all shoots arising from them. Paclobutrazol significantly increased the number of nuts per shoot in 1988, but did not affect shoot growth. More nuts were found on shoots from the 1-yr-old wood and leaf treatments than from the control and green wood treatments. In 1989, shoot growth was significantly less in the 2 former than the 2 latter treatments. These data indicate that paclobutrazol was absorbed through the bark of 1-yr-old wood and abaxial leaf tissue and sub-sequently translocated to areas of shoot growth.
A field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of several foliar nutrient sprays on the vegetative growth of 'Jefferson' peach budded on 'Nemaguard' and 'Lovell' rootstocks planted on a site with a history of Peach Tree Short Life. The trees received foliar applications of 2 mN solutions of ammonium citrate, calcium citrate, calcium lactate, calcium phosphate, or a water control at 3 week intervals from April to August. Vegetative growth measurements were taken after one growing season. Trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) was significantly increased by ammonium citrate (TCSA=20.35 cm2), calcium citrate (TCSA=20.03 cm2), and calcium lactate (TCSA=19.91 cm2) when compared to controls (TCSA=16.75 cm2). Trees on 'Nemaguard' responded more to treatments than those on 'Lovell'. All nutrient sprays increased TCSA, lateral growth, terminal growth, and total tree growth on 'Nemaguard' rootstock. Terminal growth increased 12-36%, and total tree growth increased 18-51 % compared to control trees, but only ammonium citrate applications were significantly greater. Lateral growth and TCSA of treated trees increased 65-168% and 17-28%, respectively.
`Redhaven' peach trees were planted on a nonfumigated peach tree short life (PTSL) site in Pontiac, S.C. The experimental design was a split plot with 12 replicates. Preplant subplot treatments were 0, 3, and 6 kg of hydrated lime mixed with 1.9 cubic meters of native soil (Lakeland sand) per planting hole. Main plot treatments consisted of mixing in the planting holes 0 or 5 liters of soil taken from a nearby orchard site that had shown “suppressive” tendencies towards ring nematode reproduction. Hydrated lime treatments increased soil pH by 0.6 to 1.4 units. Boron deficiency occurred in the 6-kg plots. Hydrated lime did not significantly reduce PTSL as 88%, 79%, and 92% of the trees in the 0-, 3-, and 6-kg plots, respectively, died from PTSL by the fifth year. No differences in survival were found between the nonsuppressive and suppressive soil treatments, as both had 86% tree death from PTSL. No trends in ring nematode populations were found among treatments.
'Redhaven' and 'Springcrest' peach cultivars were budded to 12 rootstock selections and planted on a non-fumigated peach tree short life site. After 2 growing seasons, 2 shoots/tree (20 trees/stion) were collected in late November 1990 and again in early March 1991. Samples were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and later freeze dried and prepared for analysis. Total soluble sugars and starch were extracted from the shoot and quantified. No significant differences among rootstocks or cultivars were found for total soluble sugars and starch. No significant correlations were found between stion carbohydrates in fall and spring and the incidence of bacterial canker in April 1991. Total soluble sugars and starch averaged 110 and 120 mg/g dry tissue for fall and spring sample times, respectively. Cultivars on the hybrid plum rootstock 'Edible Sloe' had the highest soluble carbohydrates in both fall and spring.
Late spring freezes often result in significant flower bud kill in deciduous fruit trees. Some products have been marketed as frost protectant compounds which purportedly protect flower stigmas and ovaries from freezing injury and death. Two of these compounds, Frost Free and Frostgard, were tested at two locations in South Carolina over three years. Varieties `Junegold', `Loring', `Redhaven', and `Jefferson' were treated with Frost Free (FF) in years 1988-1990 and with Frostgard (FG) in 1990. Significant differences in fruit yield and vegetative growth occurred during this period, but no consistent trends were evident. In 1989, FF-treated `Redhaven' and `Jefferson' trees averaged 10.5 and 21.8 kg more fruit/tree than the controls. However, no lethal cold temperatures occurred during the bloom period. In 1990, FG-treated `Redhaven' trees averaged 8.0 kg more fruit/tree than the control trees. The fruit from FF-treated trees were lower in Brix, had less red color, and vegetative shoot growth was slightly greater than that of the FG and check trees. These data suggest that Frost Free may have plant growth regulator properties.
More than 400 genotypes of Prunus were evaluated for “in field” rooting and survival from fall-planted hardwood cuttings treated with 2000 ppm IBA. Cultivars of European and Japanese plums originating from species and interspecific hybrids of the section (sect.) Prunus had the highest survival. Cuttings from cultivars of sand cherry (sect. Microcerasus) and peach (sect. Euamygdalus) averaged 28% to 54% lower survival than European and Japanese plums. Few cultivars of almonds (sect. Euamygdalus), apricots (sect. Armeniaca), and American plums (sect. Prunocerasus) rooted from hardwood cuttings. Chemical name used: 1H-indole-3-butyric acid (IBA).
Poor peach seed germination can be a problem for commercial tree fruit nurseries. Even standard rootstocks such as Lovell and Nemaguard do not always have high germination rates. New seed-propagated rootstocks under development, such as Guardian peach rootstock, often are selected for their field traits, with nursery characteristics being of secondary importance. Guardian rootstock is derived from bulked open-pollinated seed from a number of F1 seedling selections. Germination of Guardian bulked seed has been poor. Four pre-stratification cold treatments were given to four 100-seed lots each of Lovell, Nemaguard, and 10 Guardian selections prior to planting each year (1994 to 1998) in a Cecil sandy loam at Musser Fruit Research Center near Clemson, S.C. Treatments included taking dry, refrigerated seed that were harvested in August and soaking 100-seed seedlots in 1500 mL perlite and 400 mL distilled water for 0 (no soaking), 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks at 6 °C before sowing (typically early November). All treatments consisted of 25 seeds per replicate (4 reps/year) per rootstock or selection and were sowed the same day. The experiment was analyzed as a blocked split plot design with duration of stratification the whole-plot and seedlot the sub-plot. Number of emerged seedlings were counted weekly starting in January of each year. There were significant differences between stratification treatments, seedlots and years. The 6-week pre-stratification had the highest germination over 5 years and like the 8-week treatment advanced the average germination date by 20 to 30 days. Nemaguard (65%), Lovell (64%), and Guardian 3-17-7 (60%) had the best germination percent across all treatments and years, with SL2891 (42%) slightly less. All other selections averaged less than 25%. Year-to-year variation was large, indicating strong environmental influences on seed germination despite the pre-stratification treatments.
Peach tree short life (PTSL) is a serious peach tree disease syndrome on replant orchard sites in the Southeast. Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae is a bacterial disease often associated with tree injury and death on these PTSL sites. Rootstocks that have better tolerance to ring nematodes such as Lovell have less PTSL death. Tissue-cultured peach embryos and/or explants have shown increased resistance to Pseudomonas syringae and Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni, another bacterial peach pathogen, in laboratory and greenhouse screenings. Tissue-cultured `Redhaven' (RH), `Redskin' (RS), and `Sunhigh' (SH) peach cultivars on their own roots were planted with SH seedlings and RH and RS budded to Lovell rootstock on a severe PTSL site in South Carolina. Treatments beside cultivar/rootstock combination included preplant fumigation vs. nonfumigation. PTSL appeared in the third year and by year 4 significant tree death occurred. Tissue-cultured RH, RS, and SH trees had 54%, 55%, and 88% PTSL death, respectively, compared to RH (17%) and RS (29%) on Lovell or the SH seedlings (25%). Fumigation significantly decreased PTSL in both RS combinations but not RH. These data suggest that the tolerance of the cultivar root system to PTSL-inducing factors such as ring nematodes was more important in PTSL than scion resistance to bacteria.