Hisajiro Yukinaga

Orchard growth, flowering and fruiting of micropropagated Japanese persimmon trees

SummaryShoot growth, flowering and fruiting of micropropagated (M) and grafted (G) Japanese persimmon trees (Diospyros kaki L. cv. Nishimurawase) were compared over seven years in Japan. Overall, M trees established better without transplanting shock and grew more vigorously as indicated by the changes in tree height and trunk cross-sectional area. Total shoot length per tree was greater in M trees, mainly due to an increase in the number of shoots, although average shoot length was about 30% higher as well. There was generally only a small effect on female flowering between the tree types, and no significant effect on male flowering. The cumulative yield of M trees was about 20% higher than that of G trees because of higher yields from M trees in the last two years, but the difference was not significant. There was no significant difference in yield efficiency, and no effect on fruit quality. These results suggested that M trees would be advantageous for some commercial orchards where initial vigorous ve...