Variety and Rootstock to Improve Productivity and Market Opportunities for Fruit Crops

Dear Colleagues,

The development and adoption of high-performance rootstocks are fundamental to supporting the growth and profitability of future fruit crops and meeting consumer expectations. More than 20 tree characteristics are influenced by rootstocks. Rootstocks profoundly influence most aspects of fruit production such as tree vigor, precocity, productivity, fruit quality, and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. There is a need for the consistent production and supply of a high-quality fruit with improved external and internal quality suitable for both domestic and export markets. Marginal soil and climatic conditions are becoming a limitation to growing fruit commercially and sustainably. Rootstock research is thus a high priority for fruit crops. These include tree size, cropping efficiency, and fruit quality including fruit size. There is increased interest in the use of rootstocks to reduce tree size and vigor, allowing higher planting densities in many fruit crops around the world. The adoption of higher-density plantings with smaller, less vigorous (dwarfed) trees producing greater yield per canopy surface area and per hectare will improve production efficiency. Dwarfing rootstocks must be tested under various soil and climatic conditions prior to their widespread adoption.

Variety improvement is an aim of most horticultural industries and seeks to improve or broaden the varietal choice for farmers to meet both domestic consumer and export needs. There is an increasing demand for convenience-style fruit such as low-seeded or seedless varieties, which can also be easy to peel, sweet, and have good visual appeal. The development of these new or improved varieties can come from local or international breeding and selection programs. Prior to the large-scale commercial adoption of new fruit varieties, it is advisable to test them under local climatic and cultural conditions. The horticultural evaluation of new fruit varieties should be aimed at producing fruit to a commercial standard in a short time frame and at presenting this information to the relevant industry. Decisions to adopt or reject new varieties are often made based on early results from trial plantings to gain a commercial advantage. An evaluation program should provide impartial data on tree performance and fruit quality to assist farmers in making informed decisions when redeveloping or changing their varietal mix.

The most important recommendations will result from the right scion and rootstock combination. In this issue, research related to rootstock and varieties are encouraged to be submitted for publication.

Dr. Tahir Khurshid
Dr. Michailidis Michail
Guest Editors

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• budding/grafting
• interstock
• yield/quality
• disease resistance
• hardiness
• salinity