Long-term effects of rootstock and tree type on the economic profitability of ‘Gala’, ‘Fuji’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ orchards performance
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Author
Gonzalez Nieto, Luis
Miranda Sazo, Mario
Hoying, Stephen A.
Fargione, Michael J.
Reginato, Gabino Hernan
Donahue, Daniel J.
Francescatto, Poliana
Casagrande Biasuz, Erica
Fazio, Gennaro
Robinson, Terence Lee
Publication date
2023-05-10ISSN
0304-4238
Abstract
Planting a new orchard requires a complex management strategy that involves many factors including cultivar,
rootstock, planting density, training system, tree type, climate, and economic conditions that affect orchard
profitability. To evaluate the relative importance of each factor, data from long-term field studies is required to
analyze their impact on lifetime profitability. Here, we conducted two long-term field studies at two locations in
New York State (Dressel farm in South-eastern and VandeWalle farm in Western New York State). The trials were
planted in 2006 at a planting density of 3,262 tree/ha and the trees were trained as Tall Spindles. The aim of this
study was to compare the impact of tree type (newly bench-grafted trees and large 2-year feathered trees) and
rootstock (B.9, M.9, G.11, G.16, G.41) on long-term profitability of three apple cultivars (‘Fuji’, ‘Gala’, and
‘Honeycrisp’). There were important differences in profitability between cultivars, with a higher Net Present
Value (NPV) for ‘Honeycrisp’, followed by ‘Gala’ and, finally, for ‘Fuji’. For all the cultivars, the NPV of the
feathered trees was substantially higher compared to bench-grafted trees. Furthermore, the highest cumulative
NPV’s for ‘Honeycrisp’ were on B.9, G.11 and G.16, whereas with ‘Fuji’ the highest NPV’s were on G.16, G.11
and M.9 and with ‘Gala’ the highest NPV’s were on G.16, G.41 and M.9. The break-even year of a positive NPV
for each rootstock, tree type, and cultivar, showed that the fastest investment pay offs were achieved with
‘Honeycrisp’, followed by ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’. Feathered trees showed a faster break-even year of a positive NPV
compared to bench grafted trees in all cultivars. Our results showed that the key variables that influence orchard
profitability were, in descending order, fruit price and yield, followed by discount rate, labor cost, and finally
tree price and land cost.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Accepted version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
633 - Field crops and their production
Pages
32
Publisher
Elsevier
Is part of
Scientia Horticulturae
Citation
Gonzalez Nieto, Luis, Gemma Reig, Jaume Lordan, Mario Miranda Sazo, Stephen A. Hoying, Michael J. Fargione, and Gabino Hernan Reginato et al. 2023. "Long-Term Effects Of Rootstock And Tree Type On The Economic Profitability Of ‘Gala’, ‘Fuji’ And ‘Honeycrisp’ Orchards Performance". Scientia Horticulturae 318: 112129. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2023.112129
Program
Fructicultura
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