Cultivation

Apricot rootstock

Prunus armeniaca L.

The selection of a rootstock for apricot is based on overcoming tissue incompatibility of scion-rootstock pairs and adapting to soil conditions. The most important criteria are the crop's demand for root aeration and the risk of late breakage at the graft union.

In the reference 45 varieties crop Apricot, where this is mentioned in the description.

When choosing a seedling-type rootstock, zherdel (wild apricot) provides high compatibility and drought resistance, but it produces vigorous trees, whereas myrobalan plum is preferable for heavy and moist soils. The use of clonal rootstocks is aimed at establishing intensive orchards, yet it is often accompanied by the risk of 'delayed' incompatibility, manifesting as breakages in the graft zone during the first years of the tree's life.

Apricot exhibits pronounced specificity of scion-rootstock combinations, which requires preliminary compatibility testing of the pairs. Unlike other stone fruits, this crop is critically demanding of soil aeration, and therefore it is not always compatible with rootstocks adapted to waterlogging. For early prediction of success in the nursery, biochemical analyses of tissues in the graft union zone and electron microscopy are employed.

General information about the subject — on the page Rootstock.

Sources8

Varieties of Apricot mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.