North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/24/2007 7:58:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time, geoff_steen@yahoo.com writes:

> NAFEXers,
>
> I'm a student at Warren Wilson college in Asheville, NC. 
> A natural science seminar research project is required of all
> science majors here and I'm thinking to test the effect of
> mycorrhizal treatments on grafted potted trees (apples, pears,
> orpersimmons) against a control without treatment (sterile soil 
> medium). I would like to observe the success rate of the graft 
> taking. 
>
> Some questions I have are:
>     3.) where can I find standard success rates to compare with in peer-reviewed  literature for grafting these types of fruits.
>
> Any commentary would be appreciated, especially a pointer to where to find good research on grafting rates for persimmons, apples, and pears and where to find a mycorrhizal inoculant for them.
>
> Fruit for humanity,
>
> Geoffrey Steen


Hello Geoffrey,

First I applaud your wishing to research the effects of mycorrhizal treatments on potted trees. But I'd like to suggest using another tree species such as Juglans or Carya. 

The fruits you suggested normally have very high success rates. Detecting a difference between of inoculated and uninoculated upon grafting will be only slight, if any at all. The grafting rates of walnut and pecan are normally lower and success rates might be more easily documented. 

Chestnut might also be a good selection because of an incompatibility problem between chestnut material. Might inoculation reduce that problem?   

Jerry


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