2009 Annual Report for FNE09-668
Testing New Dwarfing Apple Rootstocks for the Northern Grower
Summary
This project aims to test new dwarfing and semi-dwarfing rootstocks in a zone 3 climate. Rootstocks G. 41 (dwarfing) and G. 935 (semi-dwarfing), developed at the USDA/ Cornell University Apple Rootstock Breeding Program in Geneva, New York, may offer the hardiness required of a zone 3 climate combined with the benefits of a dwarfing tree. Dwarfing trees would allow the northern grower the advantages of fruit-bearing precocity, ease of harvest, and high orchard density. In addition, G. 41 and G.935 have been bred to be resistant to serious apple diseases, which may make them particularly valuable to growers in various climates.
To test the hardiness of G. 41 and G. 935, this project will compare the survivability and growth of the two new rootstocks to Bud. 9, a commonly used hardy, dwarfing rootstock, and Malus antonovka, a hardy standard-sized rootstock.
Objectives/Performance Targets
Accomplishments/Milestones
Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes
Collaborators:
researcher/professor
University of Maine
5722 Deering Hall
Orono, ME 04469
Office Phone: 2075811865