Evaluation of Dwarfing Cherry Rootstocks in Hungary

The intensive sweet cherry growing is very popular in Hungary. For the successful sweet cherry growing the growers have to choose a good fruit site, rootstocks, scion varieties and sustainable crown form. The nurseries offer numerous cherry rootstocks but it is not easy to choose the best one for the growers. To evaluate dwarfing rootstocks from different breeding programs the Research Institute for Fruitgrowing and Ornamentals set up a comparing trial. A research plot was planted at the research farm Erd-Elvira of the Research Institute in spring 1997 with the aim to test rootstocks and investigate scion/rootstock interactions. 7 dwarfing rootstocks ('Weiroot 13', 'Weiroot 53', 'Weiroot 72', 'Weiroot 154', 'Weiroot 158', 'GiSelA 5', 'P-HL-A'), one Hungarian selected Mazzard seedling 'Cerasus avium C. 2493' and Cerasus mahaleb 'Cema' seedling as a control were combined with 3 sweet cherries ('Germersdorfi 3', 'Linda', 'Katalin') and one sour cherry variety ('Piramis'). The dwarfing effect of the rootstocks onto the sweet and sour cherry varieties is different. However the succession of the vigour induced is visible: 'Cema', Cerasus avium 'C. 2493', 'Weiroot 13', 'P-HL-A', 'Weiroot 158', 'Weiroot 154', 'Weiroot 72', 'Weiroot 53', 'GiSelA 5'. When observing the generative traits, the most remarkable effect was that on blooming time, fruit yield and fruit size. Compared to the trees on Cerasus mahaleb 'Cema' each sweet cherry combination's yield was higher except those on seedling and on 'P-HL-A' rootstocks. The highest cumulative yield efficiency was produced on 'GiSelA 5' but trees on this rootstock showed some negative features ( early blooming time, tendency to overloading and barewood formation) which might be caused by site and our pedoclimatic conditions. According to those disadvantages the use of this rootstock seems to be hazardous in Hungary. In this regard 'Weiroot 158' gave the best results among the stocks producing healthy trees. Among the sour cherry trees those on Cerasus mahaleb ` Cema' and on 'Weiroot 13' produced the highest yield. The effect on the yield efficiency of the varieties was the biggest on 'GiSelA 5'. The fruit diameter was less year by year. Trees on the rootstocks 'Weiroot 72' produced the largest fruit size, since 28% of the measured fruits were bigger than 26 mm diameter. In the Hungarian climate conditions the growers have to choose medium vigorous rootstocks because they are well suited to dry climate and calcareous soils.