The selection of appropriate rootstock and training system towards sustainable production of stone fruits

13 Jun 2024
1016

Cherry Times offers its readers the reports on cherry rootstocks presented at the Macfrut 2024 International Rootstock Symposium.

In stone fruit species, such as peach, cherry, apricot and plum labour requirement is important ranging from 45% to 71% of the total cost of production. In this sense, combining size controlling rootstocks as Rootpac®  series, Isthara®  and others in peach and plum, or Gisela®  and Corette®  series in cherry, with intensive bidimensional training systems based on central axis or bi axis resulted in earlier and higher yields, compared with the traditional open vase associated with vigorous rootstocks.

The association of these intensive orchards with bidimensional canopies and good accessibility to canopy by labour and machines, is essential to reduce the cost of production. These canopies allow an efficient use of labour and mechanization. Regarding peach, under Ebro Valley (Spain) conditions, the reduction on total cost of production ranged from 15% to 20% and the harvest rate increased by 41%, enhancing also fruit quality due to better light distribution within the tree canopy.

In cherry the increase of harvest rate increased by 72% when UFO was compared with the traditional open center. With European and Japanese varieties, intensification by using RootpacR20 rootstock and super high density plantings (SHD), allowed to get more than 40 t ha-1 in the third year in Ebro Valley (Spain).

Image 1: Ignasi Iglesias.

With ‘Agen’ European plum, using the same rootstock, under Chilean conditions training trees in a small hedge (SHD) allowed the full mechanization of the harvest by using over-the-row harvester or pedestrian harvest for the needs of fresh market. In this case, manual harvest efficiency increased by 49% compared with the traditional open vase.

In all species, the use of size controlling rootstocks offers different options to growers when selecting the training systems concerning skilled labour requirements to train the trees in the first years.

Thus, an increase was recorded when the number of axes increased from central axis to bi-, tri- and multi-axes. Furthermore, all these planar canopies were better adapted to the application of precision technologies based on artificial vision (AV) for monitoring pest and diseases, neural network and AV for fruit counting, yield forecasting and robotic harvesting.

Download the full report here

Download the presentation here

Ignasi Iglesias and Ramon Botet
Agromillora Catalana Group, Spain
iiglesias@agromillora.com


Cherry Times - All rights reserved

What to read next

A new biodegradable film for sweet cherry packaging

Post-harvest​

26 Sep 2024

A group of Chinese researchers has developed a biodegradable composite film made from gelatin, pectin, and cellulose nanofibers (CNF), enriched with an antibacterial agent called polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (PHMB).

Guidelines against Drosophila suzukii in cherry crops

Crop protection

01 Jun 2023

Since its arrival in France in 2010, Drosophila suzukii has caused extensive damage to several species, including cherries. The aim of a recent CTIFL note is to provide technical elements for phytosanitary protection of cherry trees against D. suzukii.

In evidenza

Cherry pruning: a winning strategy for Chilean quality and competitiveness

Tech management

24 Jun 2025

At Cherry Tech 2025, agronomist Carlos Tapia explained how strategic cherry pruning—supported by NDVI mapping and spatial analysis—can reduce labor, improve fruit size, and enhance profitability. A cost-effective, high-impact tool to maintain Chile’s global cherry leadership.

Blossoming Japan: the Sano family's mission to protect the Sakura

Specialties

24 Jun 2025

In Kyoto, Japan, the Sano family has protected a rare cherry blossom garden for generations. Tōemon Sano, 97, Japan’s most revered sakuramori, continues his mission to shield sakura trees from climate change and preserve their fleeting beauty and deep cultural significance.

Tag Popolari