Agronomical and fruit quality traits of two peach cultivars on peach-almond hybrid rootstocks growing on Mediterranean conditions

The agronomical and fruit quality trait influence was evaluated for five almond x peach hybrid and one Prunus davidiana x peach hybrid rootstocks. The six rootstocks, Adafuel, Adarcias, Cadaman, Felinem, Garnem and (7 677, were budded with 'Tebana' peach and 'Queen Giant' nectarine cultivars during the summer of 1997, and trees were established in two adjacent plots during the winter of 1998-1999. The trial site was located in the Ebro Valley (Zaragoza, Spain), on a heavy and calcareous soil typical of the Mediterranean area. At the twelfth year after budding, growing conditions generated varying levels of tree mortality, the highest with Felinem and Garnem rootstocks. In contrast, all Adarcias and GF 677 trees survived and the mortality rate was low in Adafuel and Cadaman. The lowest vigour was induced by Adarcias for both cultivars, a 37% and 48% reduction in trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) for 'Tebana' and 'Queen Giant' respectively compared to vigour on GF 677. For 'Queen Giant', cumulative yield was greater on Felinem, although no significant differences were found with Garnem. Other rootstocks that showed high cumulative yields were Adafuel and GF 677. The highest yield efficiency was recorded on Cadaman rootstock with both varieties, although differences were not significant with Felinem for 'Queen Giant'. On average, the highest fruit weight was recorded on Adafuel and Cadaman for both cultivars. For 'Queen Giant', the greatest soluble solids content (SSC) was recorded on Adarcias and Cadaman, and the lowest on Garnem and GF 677. The highest titratable acidity was also induced by Cadaman rootstock but it did not differ significantly from Adarcias. Correlations between some agronomical and fruit quality traits were found: The less vigorous rootstocks seem to induce a better fruit quality to the studied cultivars based on fruit sugar content. Our results show the relationship between the characteristics on plant adaptability and development, such as yield, vigour or fruit weight, and the factors of fruit quality value. Published by Elsevier B.V.