Abstract
Water resources for irrigation are constrained in many apple production regions, and water-saving technologies are required. This study investigated the effect of apple rootstocks on water use (canopy transpiration, Ec) of irrigated apple trees under well-watered (WW) and water-deficit (WD – irrigation was fully suspended during two cycles). A field trial was conducted in South Africa using full-bearing ‘Rosy Glow’ apple trees grafted on different rootstocks: M.793 (semi-vigorous), MM.109/M.9 and G.222 (semi-dwarfing), and M.9 RN.29 (dwarfing). WW and WD treatments were imposed in two late-summer cycles. Under WW conditions, total Ec correlated with rootstock vigour, being approx. 995 mm (M.793), 725 mm (G.222), 715 mm (MM.109/M.9) and 375 mm (M.9 RN.29). During WD, M.793 showed the greatest reduction in transpiration (31%), followed by M.9 RN.29 (17%), MM.109/M.9 (4%) and G.222 (1%). The recovery capacity for Ec was high in M.793 and M.9 RN.29, accompanied by enhanced post-stress root development (shallow roots in M.793 and deeper roots in M.9 RN.29). In the second season, a pot trial with young non-bearing trees on five rootstocks supported the key findings of the field trial. In the pot trial, transpiration per unit leaf area decreased under WD in all rootstocks, with G.202, M.7, and G.222 showing the largest decreases. Conversely, M.793 and M.9 RN.29 displayed greater resilience, showing quicker recovery and transpiration rates during recovery that surpassed those measured in the pre-deficit period. Rootstock selection significantly influences water use and resilience to water deficit, with implications for orchard choices and management in water-limited regions
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dutoit Agri for managing the trial orchard at Paardekloof Farm, and to Welgevallen Farm management for assisting with the pot trial.
Funding
This research project was funded by Hortgro Pome under grant number A-17-USH-CP01.
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Permission to conduct the field experiment at Paardekloof Farm, Witzenberg Valley, Western Cape, South Africa, was obtained from the Du Toit Group of Farms. Approval was granted by the farm management before commencement of the study.
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Banda, L., Dzikiti, S., Lötze, E. et al. A physiological investigation of rootstock effects on the water use of irrigated ‘Rosy Glow’ apple trees under water deficit conditions.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59029-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59029-1
Keywords
- Basal crop coefficient
- Sap flow
- Transpiration
- Water deficit
- Water stress
Source: Ecology - nature.com
