Effects of Different Scions on Macronutrient Resorption of Mango Kensington Pride Rootstock

Nutrient resorption is a process of nutrient remobilization from senesced organs to living tissues inside a plant. Since the Northern Territory (NT) has relatively poor soil conditions and a limited supply of nutrients for plants, it is crucial to determine the suitable scion for efficient macronutrient resorption in the Kensington Pride (KP) mango rootstock. The scions used in this study were NMBP ۱۲۰۱(T۱), NMBP ۱۲۴۳ (T۲), NMBP ۴۰۶۹ (T۳), B۷۴ (T۴), and KP (T۵). The experiment was laid out in a randomised, complete block design with five treatments and five replicates. The results showed that grafting B۷۴ scion onto KP rootstock resulted in trees with reduced canopy area (۶۵.۷۶ ± ۴.۳۹b) and volume (۴۸.۴۳ ± ۴.۹۲b), indicating that it is suited for growing with a narrow planting distance to produce more mangoes in a smaller area. Grafting the B۷۴ scion onto KP resulted in a larger leaf area (۶.۵۲ ± ۱.۳۶), ultimately increasing nutrient resorption efficiency, which is beneficial in nutrient-deficient soil like in the NT. NMBP ۴۰۶۹ scion grafted onto KP rootstock had a larger canopy area (۸۷.۴۷ ± ۵.۳۷a) and canopy volume (۷۲.۲۳ ± ۶.۲۱a). These trees will need more space to grow and have reduced nutrient resorption efficiency due to the smaller leaf area. The scions NMBP ۱۲۰۱ and NMBP ۱۲۴۳ displayed comparable growth metrics and nutrient resorption efficiency when grafted onto KP. The scion B۷۴ is the most suitable variety to withstand diverse environmental conditions, optimise nutrient use, and increase fruit yield on a commercial level.

Keywords:

Grafting , macro-nutrient , Mango , nutrient resorption , NMBP (National Mango Breeding Program) , B۷۴ (Calypso®)