Nutritional status of ‘BRS Rubimel’ peach plants in the nursery as a function of the rootstock

Abstract

Improvements in the traditional production system of peach seedlings, with a focus on the use of selected rootstocks, tend to minimize some of the problems experienced with this crop in the south of Brazil, such as the scarcity of vigorous nursery plants and the lack of a genetic identity for commercial rootstocks. The aim of this study was to investigate the different patterns of nutrient absorption and allocation related to the rootstock in ‘BRS Rubimel’ peach plants by analyzing growth variables during the post-graft period. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks in a 3 × 3 factorial scheme, with three peach rootstock varieties (i.e., ‘Flordaguard’, ‘Capdeboscq’, and ‘Okinawa Roxo’) and three post-graft evaluation periods (i.e., 30, 60, and 90 days after the start of budding), corresponding to a total of nine treatments, with three replications, each including five plants. During the three evaluation periods, morphological growth characteristics were measured, and the macronutrient content was determined in the different plant organs (i.e., leaf, stem, and roots). The nutrient content in plants of the ‘BRS Rubimel’ peach plants was influenced by the rootstock. Despite showing greater N use efficiency, ‘Capdeboscq’ accumulated a large part of this nutrient in the roots, using it for root growth, which resulted in a smaller scion diameter compared to that of ‘Flordaguard’. Comparing the three rootstocks and the evaluated variables, it seems that ‘Flordaguard’ can be used as a rootstock for the ‘BRS Rubimel’ peach plants, as it induces a greater scion diameter as well as the uniform allocation of dry matter between organs during the post-graft period, hence ensuring greater initial plant vigor.