The Influence of Rootstock and High-Density Planting on Apple cv. Auksis Fruit Quality

Abstract

Global demand for food is increasing each year, but the area of land suitable for farming is limited. Thus, there is a need to grow not only larger quantities of food but also higher quality food products in the same area. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of rootstock and high-density orchards on cv. Auksis fruit quality. Two rootstocks were selected for this experiment, P 22 super dwarfing and P 60 dwarfing. Apple trees cv. Auksis were planted in the year 2001 in single rows spaced 1.00 m, 0.75 m, and 0.50 m, apart with 3 m between rows. High-density planting and rootstock combination was found to have no significant effect on sugar accumulation and most of the elements in apple fruits. However, super dwarfing P 22 rootstock accumulated significantly higher (up to 45%) content of organic acids and up to 33%–44% lower DPPH free radical scavering activity compared to P 60 dwarfing rootstock. After summarizing the obtained results, apples which accumulated the most antioxidants (according to the activity of phenolic compounds, DPPH• and ABTS•), magnesium, and potassium were collected from cv. Auksis apple trees which was grafted on super dwarfing P 22 rootstock and planted at 3 × 0.75 m distances.

Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity in Apples of the ‘Galaval’ Cultivar Grown on 17 Different Rootstocks

“…The maximum total content of phenolic compounds was 3715 μg/g ± 235 μg/g when grown with the strong-dwarf rootstock G.11, and the minimum content was 1278 μg/g ± 50 μg/g with the semi-dwarf rootstock G.202 from the same breeding program in the USA ( Figure 1 , Panel a). Lauzike et al, studying the apple cultivar ‘Auksis’ on super-dwarf P 22 and dwarf P 60 rootstocks, found that the total content of phenolic compounds in apple samples ranged from 2470 μg/g to 3110 μg/g [ 30 ]. These research data confirm the results of our study.…”

“…Peel extracts of apples grown on rootstocks EM_03, PFR1, PFR4, G.41, and G.202 showed weaker antiradical activity compared to that detected in apple flesh extracts. Lauzike et al found that sample extracts of apples grown on the super-dwarf rootstock P 22 had by 33–44% lower antiradical activity compared to that found in sample extracts of apples grown on the dwarf rootstock P 60 [ 30 ]. Milocevic et al found that flesh and peel extracts of apples grown on rootstock M.9 T337 had stronger antioxidant activity compared to flesh and peel samples of apples grown on the more vigorous rootstocks M.4 and MM.106 [ 47 ].…”

“…Rootstocks have also been found to determine the qualitative and quantitative composition of phenolic compounds in apples [ 20 , 29 ]. A properly selected cultivar and rootstock can program the fruit tree to produce more high-quality, antioxidant-rich, and high-nutrition-value fruit [ 30 , 31 ]. In recent years, relatively high numbers of new apple rootstocks have been delivered by breeding centers around the world.…”

Landscaping with Fruits: Citizens’ Perceptions toward Urban Horticulture and Design of Urban Gardens

“…Various growth habits can be utilized even in small-sized urban gardens, including dwarf, compact, semi-dwarf, columnar, weeping and upright habits, as well as the combination of different growth habits in one plant-dwarf × compact, columnar × compact, dwarf × columnar, and many more [76]. The vigorous growth of many cultivars does not represent an obstacle to their utilization, even in smaller spaces, due to the easily attainable size-controlling effect of adequate rootstocks' selection, which also improves the productivity and fruit quality of scions and adaptability to different pedo-climatic conditions and uncertain climate-changeinduced meteorological events [77][78][79][80]. In this way, some old varieties can be preserved and used in urban conditions [81], while autochthonous germplasm can be utilized due to its valuable traits through its introduction to breeding programs with the purpose of enabling sustainable urban gardening [82,83].…”

Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Korean Pine Tree Aging and Response to Shading

“…For example, the leaf angle affects a plant's photosynthetic efficiency and yield [8], and the molecular mechanism of this factor has been widely reported in rice and maize, providing a possibility for the quantitative control of leaf angles at different canopy levels [9]. Other methods like density control, dwarfing rootstock [10], and pruning [11], have been studied in fruit tree management and used to manipulate shading to improve yield. Shading also affects plant metabolism.…”