Comparison of Budding Methods of Two Cultivars of Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.)

Abstract

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) is a little-known fruit species that deserves attention because of the possibility of increasing the biodiversity of crops and making the human diet more attractive. The fruit of the cornelian cherry, due to its health-promoting properties, can be widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Increasing the cultivation area of this species depends on the availability of high-quality planting material. The reproduction of valuable varieties is possible only with the use of vegetative reproduction. One of the most effective methods of cornelian cherry reproduction is budding on cornelian cherry rootstocks. In the experiment carried out in the conditions of South-Eastern Poland, the efficiency of T-budding and chip-budding of two cultivars of cornelian cherry (Nikolka and Koralovyi Marka) was compared depending on the intensity of fertilization. Unusual weather conditions in spring, especially low temperature, delay the growth of rootstocks. However, foliar fertilization resulted in obtaining maiden trees with a larger diameter than those fertilized in the soil. The efficiency of budding under the experimental conditions was on average 40 %, and it was higher for the cultivar Koralovyi Marka and the chip-budding method. The variety and method of fertilization did not affect the efficiency of budding. In contrast, chip-budding budding was higher than that of T-budding multiplied. In this experiment a strong positive correlation was proved between the trunk diameter of maiden trees and their height.