Performance of the NC-140 regional sweet cherry rootstock trial planted in 1998 in North America

The most recent regional trial in North America to evaluate rootstocks for sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) was planted in the spring of 1998. The scion cultivars used were 'Hedelfingen' in eastern North America and 'Bing' in western North America. The rootstocks being tested include: 'Mazzard' seedling, P. mahaleb (L.) seedling, 'Gisela® (Gi) 3', '5', '6' and '7'; 'Giessen (GI) 195/20', '473/10' and '318/17'; 'Tabel® Edabriz'; 'Weiroot (W) 10', '13', '72', '154' and '158'. This report presents the performance of scion cultivars on various rootstocks within each location because of the complexity of multiple scion evaluations at numerous sites. A summary of general performance in the overall trial also is given. Not surprisingly, rootstock influenced yield, vigour and fruit quality. Additionally, differences in stem pull force, maturity and disease tolerance were observed (data not shown). There were interactions for tree size between location and rootstock; however, the rootstocks can be divided into different vigour groups. Yield was affected by both location and rootstock, as was fruit size.