Growth and physiological performance of walnut plants grafted during winter dormancy and grown in containers
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Date
2026-04-01
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Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski"
Abstract
The study was carried out at the Fruit Growing Institute of Plovdiv (Bulgaria) during the period 2019-2022. The growth and physiological performance of walnut plants (Juglans regia L. ‘Izvor 10’) propagated during winter dormancy by the methods of cleft and whip/tongue grafting, grown in containers, were monitored, comparing them with those of walnut plants grafted following the standard technology of patch budding, grown in a nursery. The plants grown in a nursery were 120.4 to 122 cm in height and those grown in containers were characterized by lower average values – from 76.2 to 111 cm. The values for the stem cross-sectional area of the plants grown in the nursery varied from 349.9 to 379.7 mm2 and they were higher than those grown in containers (from 88.2 to 221.8 mm2). Higher values for the root system volume were reported for the plants grown in containers (283 – 294.4 cm3), the differences being statistically significant. Plants grown in containers had a normally developed and functioning photosynthetic apparatus. No differences in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were reported between patch-budded and container-grown plants.
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Keywords
walnut, grafted plants, vegetative behaviour, container growing, nursery, chlorophyll fluorescence