Behaviour of Piralima orange on Poncirus trifoliata rootstock as a function of budding height

Abstract

The combination Poncirus trifoliata x Piralima acidless orange was studied as a function of the budding height, from zero to forty centimeters. After six and half years of evaluations the results led to the following conclusions: 1) variation in the budding height affected the plant global development: the higher was the budding height, the more intense was the Poncirus trifoliata dwarf effect. 2) variation in budding height did not affect orange yield during the first three commercial harvests. Difference occurred in the fourth harvest, between the extreme treatments, with larger yields for plants budded near to the soil. 3) Poncirus trifoliata induced dwarf characteristics to 'Piralima' stock as well as regular and good yield along the years, and the fruits were classified as high grade. Poncirus trifoliata showed to be an interesting rootstock for the cultivar Piralima.