Influence of clonal rootstocks on growth and development of cherries and sweet cherries in the Volgograd Region

High demand for early-ripening sweet cherries and cherries necessitates enhanced cultivation methods, including adaptive rootstocks, to ensure productivity and quality amidst climate variability. Therefore, us study was conducted during 2018-2022 influence of clonal rootstocks on cherry and sweet cherry varieties in arid conditions. The research was carried out with the participation of cherry varieties Toy, Loznovskaya, Memory of Zhukova and sweet cherries Alexandria, Iput, Epos, Yaroslavna, adapted to the conditions of the Volgograd region, as well as clone rootstocks of the Crimean OSS RVL-2, RVL-9, LC-52, VSL-1, VSL-2. The survival rate of occultations on rootstocks in the nursery was studied, as well as the effect of clonal root-stocks on the growth and development of selected varieties in a garden. The productivity was calculated relative to biometric parameters: crown projection area (S), crown volume (V), stem cross-sectional area (S). The survival rate of varieties ranged depending on the rootstock from 55.9 to 49.1% and on the variety from 75 to 35.7%. The best indicators for the survival rate of vaccinations, more than 70%, were noted on variety–rootstock combinations: Epos/RVL-1 – 100%, Memory of Zhukova/RVL-2 - 71.4%, Iput/RVL–2 - 71.4%, Alexandria/RVL-9 – 71.4, Epos/RVL-9 – 75%, Alexan-dria/VSL-1 – 74% and Yaroslavna/VSL-2 – 75%. The greatest growth of grafted plants was provided by the LC-52 rootstock, which is medium-sized. The weakest growth was observed on the rootstocks RVL-9 and VSL-1, which characterizes these rootstocks as dwarf. The highest productivity was noted for all varieties on the rootstocks RVL-2 and RVL-9, on average 5.8 and 4.9 kg/tree.