Bio-agronomic characterization of twelve plum cultivars on two clonal rootstocks in a semi-arid environment in Sicily

Introduction. Plum cultivation in Southern Italy is of great interest due to the possibility of obtaining produce over an extended period using early and late varieties. The objective of this study was to choose the best combination of cultivars and rootstock to make the production period as long as possible. Materials and methods. The influence of two rootstocks i.e. Myrobalan 29C (Prunus cerasifera Ehrn.) and Montclar (R) [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] on growth, yield and fruit quality of nine Japanese and three European plum cultivars was evaluated. Results and discussion. Four years after planting, the trees on Montclar (R) rootstock displayed higher vigour. The highest yield was recorded on Shiro and Obilnaya grafted on both rootstocks. Black Amber produced the largest fruit and Obilnaya the smallest. Conclusion. This research contributed to identifying the most promising cultivars to be successfully grown in Southern Italy.