Abstract
The effects of the planting season and root mass on shoot growth of one-year ‘Fuji/Marubakaido’ trees were examined after a heading cut was performed of their trunks. Shoot lengths of the trees planted and grafted two springs prior to the measurements (Test Group 1) were higher than those planted the previous fall (Test Group 2) and those planted during the previous spring (Test Group 3). The shoot lengths of trees in Test Group 1 decreased gradually from top to bottom, while in those of Test Groups 2 and 3, the top three-to-four shoots were markedly longer than the shoots below. When half of the roots of Test Group 1 trees were removed prior to the heading cut of the trunk, the shoot length of the top two shoots was markedly longer than that of the shoots below. These suggest that the root condition and root volume may affect the supply of stored nutrients to the shoot, which influences shoot growth, and also has regulatory effect on apical control of shoot growth.
