Effect of heading date on the morphological characteristics of one-year old shoots of pear (Pyrus communis L.)
Summary
Pear production has the greatest economic importance next to the apple and plum production in Republic of Srpska (BiH) fruit production. Dominant practice of utilizing wild pear (Pyrus communis L.) seedling as a rootstock typically causes an intensive growth and postpones fruiting. Intensive vegetative growth during the early years influences the formation of long shoots where growth is terminated at time when mixed buds are formed on the tips and then regularly come to be bare at the base. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of date of heading back shoots during the growing season on the growth and development characteristics of one-year-old shoots in pear trees. The study was carried out in pear orchard, age 2 years. The study included three varieties ‘Williams’, ‘Abbé Fétel’ and ‘Packham’s Triumph’. All varieties were grafted on the seedlings of wild pear (Pyrus communis L). Training system is a slender spindle. Newly formed shoots on the central leader were cut back during 2015, and the resultant year-old shoots were analysed in 2016. The shoots were cut back to 5, 10 and 15 nodes (buds) at three different dates during intensive growth. Control shoots were not cut back. The studied varieties had best reaction regarding initiation of new growth points and intensity of new growths in the later shoot heading dates. Intensity of new growth formation is also variety related.
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