THE BEHAVIOR OF SOME APPLE CULTIVARS ON M9 ROOTSTOCKS IN LUSHNJA, ALBANIA

In Albania apple is the most demanding fruit in the market, while the domestic production covers only about 75% of annual needs. Although apple is a typical fruit of temperate climates, in the last decade, it is becoming widely spread in low coastal areas of our country, making use of opportunities for intensification and closeness to markets. Such a trend impedes the study of behaviour of various cultivars under certain climatic–soil conditions in combination with certain rootstock. Through this work we studied the behaviour of several main cultivars in low coastal area (‘Gala’, ‘Starking’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Pink Lady’, and ‘Fuji’) on rootstock M9 as well as the impact of the latter on vegetation and production. The study was conducted in a 6–year old apple orchard trained as French vertical axe. Indicators were collected in three consecutive years (2010–2012). Indicators included observation and measurement on the development of elements constituting the canopy architecture, productivity, final yield as well as quality indicators.

The data obtained from cultivars under study showed that cvs. ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Pink Lady’ and ‘Fuji’ (on rootstock M9) performed better in this area. Nevertheless, cv. ‘Gala’ should continue to be part of the variety structure in this area because of early ripening (middle of August). This favours the demand for the entire production of this cultivar with high prices and good incomes for producers. Both yields and fruit quality of cv. ‘Starking’ were low and it is recommended that it should not be planted in this area. The highest quantity of fruits were collected from branches with a diameter ranging from 12 to 22 mm. The dwarfing effects of M9 rootstocks were more visible in combination with cv. ‘Gala’. Such an effect promotes rapid development of fruiting shoots and shortens the bearing period.