Arlie Powell, Extension Horticulturist, Professor, DavidHimelrick, Extension Horticulturist, Professor, WilliamDozier, Professor, and Mary Beth Musgrove, ExtensionAssociate, all in Horticulture at Auburn University

For more information, call your county Extension of-fice. Look in your telephone directory under your countysname to find the number.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and homeeconomics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in co-operation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama CooperativeExtension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offerseducational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to allpeople without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, vet-eran status, or disability. UPS, 7.9M16, New March 1999, ANR-53-G

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ANR-53-G

A L A B A M A A & M A N D A U B U R N U N I V E R S I T I E S

F r u i t C u l t u r e i n A l a b a m a

RecommendedRootstocks

A ll tree fruits, including citrus, are propagatedonto the root system of another plant. This rootsystem is commonly referred to as the understock orrootstock. The upper part of the grafted or buddedplant that bears fruit is referred to as the scion variety.

Rootstock varieties are not as plentiful as scionvarieties, so selecting the proper rootstocks to usewith fruit types grown in a particular area is easier.However, growers should become familiar with therootstocks of choice for their particular needs.

Rootstocks are used for a number of reasons: Rootstocks allow the easy propagation of trees

of the same variety. Most tree fruits do not cometrue-to-type from seed.

Rootstocks allow faster fruiting. Fruit trees grownfrom seed require 3 to 8 years to begin bearing.

Rootstocks influence cold hardiness, overallfruit quality, yields, and disease and insect resistance.

Rootstocks help control tree size (dwarf, semi-dwarf, or normal).

The only highly effective dwarfing rootstocksavailable are for apples. Except for apple, the homegardener should purchase tree fruits on standardrootstocks and control tree size through judiciouspruning and balanced fertilization. Dwarfing root-stocks for other tree fruits are either mediocre per-formers or are still being researched. The FlyingDragon dwarfing trifoliate orange rootstock is show-ing promise for satsumas and is recommended forhome gardens or containerized plants.

Home gardeners have no way of determining therootstocks used on plants purchased from some retailoutlets. Therefore, successful home gardeners canarrange to purchase their fruit plants from local ordistant sources that can supply the desired scion vari-eties and rootstocks.

Information to help producers select varieties offruit types on appropriate rootstocks can be found inTable 1. If a fruit type is not listed, graftage is not theprimary method of propagation, and rootstocks arenot necessary. Most small fruit typesblueberry,blackberry, strawberryare propagated on their ownroots without using rootstocks. Grapes are the excep-tion. See Extension publication ANR-402, Buddingand Grafting Fruits and Nuts, for further information.

Well-developed 212- to 4-foot peach trees are recommended forplanting.

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Table 1. Rootstocks Recommended for Fruit Types Grown in Alabama

Fruit Type

Apple, full size, vigor-ous

Apple, semivigorous

Apple, semidwarf

Apple, dwarf

Pears, common,European, and Asianpears

Peach, nectarine, andplum

Quince

Apricot

Plum, European (prunetype)

Cherry, sweet and sour

Oriental persimmon

Rootstock

Seedling apple

MM106 apple

M7A and M26 apples

M9 and M27 apples

Calleryana pear

Lovell, Halford,Nemaguard, Nemared,and Guardian peach

Angers quince

Lovell peach or otherpeach rootstocks listedabove

Lovell peach andMyrobalan plum

Mahaleb and Mazzardcherry

Lotus, Diospyros lotus,and native Americanpersimmon, D. virgini-ana

Description

Do not plant trees on this rootstock.

MM106 has proven to be the best of the semivigorous rootstocks.Trees usually reach 14 to 18 feet tall and produce 7 to 12 bushelsper tree. Performance of MM111, another semivigorous rootstock,has generally not been satisfactory.

M7A and M26 are the preferred semidwarfing rootstocks for high-density, trellised orchards. M7A produces the largest size trees ofthe two rootstocks and can be used in developing freestanding or-chards (much like MM106), although some type of tree supportmay prove beneficial.

Trees planted using these rootstocks are not freestanding and mustbe trellised or otherwise supported. Usually, trees grow to a heightof 7 to 9 feet and produce 2 to 5 bushels per tree. Trees on M9 haveperformed fairly well, but M26 or M7A is preferred when trellisplantings are made. Trees on M27 are usually too dwarfish and arenot satisfactory. Mark is being investigated as a potential rootstock.

Calleryana pear, Pyrus calleryana, is the preferred rootstock forpears and Asian pears. Both types of pears are also propagatedonto Betulaefolia, Pyrus betulaefolia, but tend to be more suscepti-ble to fire blight on this rootstock.

Lovell is the preferred rootstock across the state; Halford is alsovery acceptable. Nemaguard is only suggested for South Alabamaon sites where peaches and other stone fruits have not beengrown. Nemared was released as a red-leaf peach rootstock severalyears ago. It is similar to Nemaguard in performance but has notbeen used much in the Southeast yet. It may prove valuable in thefuture. Guardian is a new release in 1995 and may become thepreferred rootstock over all of these. Supply of trees on this root-stock is limited at this time.

All varieties of quince are usually propagated on Angers rootstock.Most varieties can also be propagated by cuttings.

Apricots are not recommended because their earlier floweringhabit results in crop loss from freezes. If they are planted, however,use Lovell or other rootstocks listed for peaches.

Lovell peach is preferred, but both rootstocks are acceptable. Otherpeach rootstocks listed above are also satisfactory.

Mahaleb is preferred. Some promising new rootstocks are beingresearched.

Oriental (Japanese) persimmon, Diospyros kaki, performs well onboth rootstocks. Most grafted trees bought from nurseries are onLotus, especially if the trees are from California. Sometimes graftedtrees are on Kaki.

Pomegranate

Muscadine grape

Bunch grape, Europeanand American

Satsuma and kumquat

Graftage is not prac-ticed; no rootstocks areused.

Graftage is not practiced;no rootstocks are used.

Tampa, Lake Emerald,and DogRidge grape

Trifoliate orange,Poncirus trifoliata

The easiest and best method of propagating pomegranates is byhardwood cuttings taken in the winter from the previous seasonsgrowth. Plants can be grown from softwood cuttings placed ingreenhouses, but this method is seldom used.

Muscadines are most commonly propagated from mound layerageof new canes and softwood stem cuttings rooted in greenhouses.

Bunch grapes can be propagated using stem cuttings or bygraftage. If grafted plants are desired, Tampa and Lake Emeraldrootstocks are well adapted to the Southeast, although DogRidge isalso satisfactory. DogRidge is very advantageous where soils are al-kaline, as in parts of west Alabama.

Trifoliate orange is by far the preferred rootstock for satsuma andkumquat varieties. A dwarf form of Poncirus trifoliata, FlyingDragon is being tested. It may prove valuable as a dwarfing root-stock and is worthy of at least home garden use.