Vegetative Growth, Productivity, and Fruit Quality in Tall Spindle of 'Fuji'/M.9 Apple Trees

Well-feathered (over 10 feathers) 'Fuji'/M.9 apple trees were planted at 3.0 x 1.0 m and trained to slender spindle with 2.5 m height or to tall spindle with 3.5 m height and the vegetative growth, productivity, and fruit quality of two training systems were compared for 8 years. The canopy volume of the tall spindle trees surpassed that of the slender spindle trees 4 years after planting and was 25% larger than that of the slender spindle trees 5 years after planting. The accumulated yield over 8 years for the tall spindle system was 14% higher than that of the slender spindle system. Alternate bearing and incidence of marssonina blotch were observed in both treatments after 5 years of planting. There was often vegetative imbalance in the trees however, the degree of yield loss and vegetative imbalance of the tall spindle trees was lower than those of the slender spindle trees. Soluble solid content and fruit red color of the tall spindle trees were higher than that of the slender spindle trees in 5 year after planting, resulting from increased light penetration in the canopy due to even distribution of lateral branches and from fruit bearing in different height locations of the trees. In conclusion, increasing the tree height to about 3.5 m using slender spindle 'Fuji'/M.9 apple trees planted with over 333 trees per 10a led to better light penetration, yield and fruit quality compared to a conventional wide training system with the slender spindle.