The basis for the research was the growing demand of the country's population for high-quality apples. The studies were carried out in 2009–2015 in the nursery gardens of the Volgograd Regional Botanical Garden. The soils were of alluvial origin. We studied 14 domestic and foreign apple rootstocks. The experience is one-factor; according to the standard, rootstocks M26 and M106 are accepted. The experiment was one-factor, the rootstocks M26 and M106 were taken for the standard. The area of the accounting plot is 176 m2, there were 44 seedlings on the plot, the repetition was three times, the placement was systematic. Garden care was customary for the region. Watering, fertilizing and protection from harmful objects were included. All work was carried out in the same way and simultaneously on all plots of the experiment. The highest yield of first-class fruits of Golden Delicious apples was obtained on rootstocks M9 EMLA, 62-396, PB4, M9 T337, P60, M9 Pajam 1®, P59. It amounted to 80 t/ha and more. The harvest of the second-class fruits was at the level of 32 t/ha. The top five included rootstocks with a total yield of M9 EMLA –149.7; 62-396 – 146.2; PB4 – 145.8; M9 T337 – 141.7 and P60 – 136.4 t/ha. The rootstocks of the studied variety PB4, P16, P60, M9 T337, 62-396 and M9 PAJAM 1® significantly exceeded the control variants M26 and MM106 by 1.6–4.3 t/ha in apple yield. For intensive horticulture in the Volgograd region, according to the yield criterion, the following rootstocks M9 PAJAM, 62-396 and PB4 can be recommended, which are characterized by early fruiting and forming high-quality marketable fruits.

Dobrenko Ilya E.

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