Apple Dwarfing Rootstock Cold Hardiness: Comparing Performance of The Geneva® Series Rootstocks in Cold and Mild Winter Conditions

Abstract

Apples typically have sufficient cold hardiness to survive most winters in New York. However, as climate changes and winters become milder, trees may not receive the right temperature cues for maximum protection and develop insufficient cold hardiness. We found that, all Geneva®-series rootstocks outperformed M.9 in cold hardiness but certain Geneva®-series rootstocks may exhibit reduced reliability as the climate warms, while others show potential as climate-resilient germplasm.