REJUVENATING OLDER APPLE TREES BY ROOT PRUNING COMBINED WITH ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI
Jingfu Zhang
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, ChinaJinxin Liu
Agricultural Bureau of Laixi Municipality, ChinaZhonglan Zhang
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, ChinaShimei Pan
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, ChinaLi Yang
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, ChinaShoujun Yang
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, ChinaAbstract
Older apple trees often demonstrate physiologically unreasonable shoot distribution due to root system aging, which results in lower fruit yield and poor fruit quality. Therefore this study was conducted to test whether root pruning combined with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi could restore growth potential of fortyyear-old Red Fuji apple trees (Malus × domestica Borkh.) in a commercial orchard in 2013, by root pruning along both sides of rows, 80 cm from the trunk, to a depth of 30 cm and application of 100 ml arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum per plant. Results showed that the percentage of root colonized by mycorrhizal fungi increased as root pruning was combined with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, however mycorrhizal colonization was not seen in the control roots and roots only by root pruning. For control tree total number of shoots decreased by 28.22% in 2015 than in 2013 and shoots mainly distributed in the outer canopy accounting for 58.10% of the total, which caused the lower light intensity inside the canopy, followed by lower fruit yield and poor fruit quality. Compared to control plant, shoot reduced by 33.96 and 38.51% in the outer canopy but increased by 97.99 and 123.69% in the inner canopy in 2015, as well as 390.20 and 478.43% in the vertical
height of 1.5 to 2.5 m canopy, respectively treated by root pruning alone and combined with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Root pruning alone and combined with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi also raised the relative light intensity by 38.71 and 60.26% in the inner canopy in 2015, subsequent fruit yield by 315.79 and 373.68% respectively, in comparison to control plant. Shoot re-distribution improved fruit quality such as increase in firmness and soluble solid. Data indicated that the effect of root pruning combined with arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi on the rejuvenation of older apple trees was stronger than root pruning alone. It is therefore concluded that root pruning combined with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can think of as a measure to renew the older apple trees.
Keywords:
fruit tree, biological input, root regulation, canopy restructureReferences
Autio, W.R., Greene, D.W. (1994). Effects of growth retarding treatments on apple tree growth, fruit maturation and fruit abscission. J. Hort. Sci., 69, 653–664.
Cameron, R.W.F., Harrison-Murry, R.S., Ford, Y-Y., Judd, H.L. (2001). Ornamental shrubs: effects of stock plant management on the rooting and establishment of cuttings. J. Hort. Sci. Biotechnol., 76, 489–496.
Catherine, F.L., Peter, A., Catharine, W.T., Nigel, R. (1997). Root and shoot pruning in root-balled Acer plataonides L.: effect on establishment and shoot architecture. Arboric. J., 21, 215–229.
Da Silva, D., Han, L., Costes, E. (2013). Light interception efficiency of apple trees: a multiscale computation study based on MAppleT. Ecol. Model., 290, 45–53.
Feng, F., Li, M., Ma, F., Cheng, L. (2014). Effects of location within the tree canopy on carbohydrates, organic acids, amino acids, and phenolic compounds in the fruit peel and flesh from three apple (Malus domestica) cultivars. Hortic. Res., doi: 10.1038/hortres.
Ferguson, I.B., Lurie, S., Brown, J. (1994). Protein synthesis and breakdown during heat shock of cultured pear (Pyrus communis L.) cells. Plant Physiol., 104, 1429–1437.
Ferree, D.C. (1992). Time of root pruning influence vegetative growth, fruit size, biennial bearing, and yield of ‘Jonathan’ apple. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci., 117, 198–202.
Grappadelli, L.C., Lakso, A., Flore, J. (1994). Early season patterns of carbohydrate partitioning in exposed and shaded apple branches. J. Am. Soc. Sci. Hortic., 119, 596–603.
Han, L., Costes, E., Boudon, F., Cokelaer, T., Pradal, C., Silva, D.D., Faivre, R. (2012). Investigating the influence of geometrical traits on light interception efficiency of apple trees: A modeling study with MAppleT. IEEE 4th International Symposium on Plant Growth Modeling (etc.), 152–159.
Jung, S.K., Choi, H.S. (2010). Light penetration, growth, and fruit productivity in ‘Fuji’ apple trees trained to four growing systems. Sci. Hortic. 125(4), 672–678.
Koske, R.E., Gemma, J.N. (1989). A modified procedure for staining roots to detect VA mycorrhizae. Mycol. Res., 92, 486–505.
Lloret, P.G., Casero, P.J. (2002). Lateral root initiation. In: Waisel, Y., Eshel, A., Kafkafi, U. (eds), Plant roots – the hidden half. Marcel Dekker Inc, New York/Basel.
Miller, S.S. (1995). Root pruning and trunk scoring have limited effect on young bearing apple trees. HortScience, 30, 981–984.
Retamales, J.B., Hipps, N.A., Atkinson, C.J. (2004). Effect of timing of root pruning and root IBA application on leaf mineral concentration and canopy light interception of ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ apple trees. Acta Hort., 636, 51–57.
Sachs, T. (2005). Auxin’s role as an example of the mechanisms of shoot/root relations. Plant Soil, 268(1), 13–19.
Saure, M.C. (2007). Root pruning – a poorly understood management practice in fruit trees. Internat. J. Fruit Sci., 7(2), 43–56.
Smith, S.E., Jakobsen, I., Gronlund, M., Smith, F.A. (2011). Roles of arbuscular mycorrhizas in plant phosphorus nutrition: Interaction between pathways of phosphorus uptake in arbuscular mycorrhizal roots have important implications for understanding and manipulating plant phosphorus acquisition. Plant Physiol., 156, 1050–1057.
Smith, S.E., Read, D.J. (2008). Mycorrhizal symbiosis. Academic Press, New York.
Wei, Q.P., Lu, R.Q., Zhang, X.C., Wang, X.W., Gao, Z.Q., Liu, J. (2004). Relationship between distribution of relative light intensity and yield and quality in different tree canopy shapes for ‘Fuji’ apple. Acta Hortic. Sin., 31, 291–296 (in Chinese).
Wilson, P.J. (1999). The growth and form of potted mother plants of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. ssp. globulus in relation to the rooting ability of stem cuttings. J. Hort. Sci. Biotechnol., 74, 645–650.
Yang, S.J., Zhang, Z.L., Xue, Y.X., Zhang, Z.F., Shi, S.Y. (2014a). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increase salt tolerance of apple seedlings. Bot. Stud., 55(1), 1–7.
Yang, S.J., Zhang, Z.L., Zhang, Z.F., Shi, S.Y. (2014b). Arbuscular mycorrhizal Glomus versiforme induced bioprotection of apple tree against scar skin disease. Acta Sci. Pol. Hortorum Cultus, 13(5), 13–24.
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, China
Agricultural Bureau of Laixi Municipality, China
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, China
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, China
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, China
Yantai Institute, China Agricultural University, China
License
Articles are made available under the conditions CC BY 4.0 (until 2020 under the conditions CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Submission of the paper implies that it has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
The author signs a statement of the originality of the work, the contribution of individuals, and source of funding.
