Leaf area formation in the new apple varieties cultivated in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

This paper presents the leaf area was studied in the Gala Buckeye Simmons, Granny Smith, Red Velox, and Golden Delicious Reinders apple varieties, grafted on the M9 rootstock and aged 2-5 years. The inter-row spacing was 3,2 m and the intra-row spacing – 0,8 m The experiments were installed in the central area of the Republic of Moldova, in 4 random repetitions of 8 trees each one. The dynamics of leaf area formation in trees over time and during the vegetation period is correlated with the total length of shoots and the number of rosettes of leaves on the tree. During the growth stage of the trees, most of the leaf area (68.9-76.1%) is formed on shoots and only 23.9-31.1% - on spurs and bourse shoots. During the growth and fruiting stages of the trees, the leaf area on the tree registered identical values on the shoots and on the fruiting branches. The Granny Smith and Golden Delicious Reinders varieties registered a larger leaf area (8.85-8.34 m2/tree), compared to the Gala Buckeye Simmons and Red Velox varieties.