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PEACH ROOTSTOCKS IN NEW JERSEY 



by 



Jerome L. Frecon 

 Cooperative Extension Service 

 Cook Col iege--Rutgers University 



We recommend that growers have peach and nectarine varieties budded on 

 Lovel 1 and Halford seedling rootstocks for future peach plantings. We also 

 recommend that the seedlings used in the production of these rootstocks be 

 from seed collected in self-pollinated seed orchards. Seeds produced in 

 cross-pollinated orchards may have great variability and result in short- 

 lived trees. We also encourage growers to purchase trees on virus-certified 

 seedl ings. 



Some growers have been planting peach trees on seedlings of Tennessee 

 Natural and Bailey. We do not have enough research information in New 

 Jersery or the Eastern United States to make a recommendation on their per- 

 formance. Bailey, which is being tested in our NC-140 planting at the 

 Rutgers Fruit Research and Development Center in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, 

 was found in Iowa and has been planted by some growers in the Midwest and 

 Canada. It is reported to impart cold hardiness and vigor to the scion 

 variety by Midwestern and Canadian growers and researchers. 



Tennessee Natural is a broad name given to seeds collected from wild 

 peach trees in the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky. Seeds are not 

 available from these sources. Some growers and nurserymen feel these old 

 time trees are longer lived and hardier than today's trees. In the past 20 

 years some selections of Tennessee Natural were made, virus indexed and 

 established at the Interregional Fruit Repository at Prosser, Washington. 

 Some nurserymen have collected scionwood from these selections, budded seed 

 trees and established seed orchards for tree propagation. 



Based on the current short tree life of peach orchards in New Jersey, 

 growers probably have little to lose by trying a test planting of trees on 

 these stocks. Lovel 1 and Halford originated in California and can be 

 improved upon for tree hardiness. 



The dwarfing rootstock, Citation, has been tested in Gloucester County 

 since 1982. It reduces tree size over S0% on peaches and nectarines in 

 comparison to Lovel l-rooted trees. It imparts early defoliation in the 

 fall. Trees appear to be stressed and are suffering from slow decline on 

 our loamy sand soils. 



We have numerous plantings of self-rooted peach trees and experimental 

 plantings up to 5 years of age. Self-rooted trees are equal in performance 

 to trees on Lovel I and Halford. Jerseyqueen on its own roots has been more 

 precocious and productive than on Lovel I seedling. Jefferson has been 30% 

 reduced in size on its own roots than on Lovel 1. Much more testing needs to 

 be done. 



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