Effect of vertical root restriction with corrugated plastic sheets on growth and flower bud formation in young peach trees [Prunus persica]
2006
Onguso, J.M.(Ehime Univ., Matsuyama (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture) | Mizutani, F. | Sharif Hossain, A.B.M. | El Shereif, A.R. | Rutto, K.L.
We studied the effect of root restriction on the growth and flower bud formation of young peach trees. Twenty two-year-old peach trees (Prunus persica [L.] Batsch), cv. 'Akatsuki' grafted on wild form rootstocks were randomly selected for this experiment in April 2005. The treatment planting holes were lined with different sizes of corrugated plastic sheets (65 x 90 cm, 45 x 65 cm, 32.5 x 45 cm) at a depth of 10 cm and replications were five. Shoot length in trees grown over full size (65 x 90 cm) corrugated plastic sheets declined by nearly 50%. The weight of branches pruned from trees on full size plastic sheets reduced by 60%, those on half size plastic sheets (45 x 65 cm) by 32% and those on quarter size sheets (32.5 x 45 cm) by 20%, as compared with controls. The percentage of floral buds was slightly increased by the presence of corrugated plastic sheets below the roots.
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