Influence of scion/rootstock interaction on some morphological characteristics of grafted rose plants

Abstract

The main aim of this research was to determine the influence of cultivar/rootstock on the morphological characters of some Hybrid Tea varieties of roses (`Explorer', 'White Chocolate', `Nina' and `Catrina'), grafted on three biotypes of Rosa canina: one of R. canina `Laxa' and two of R. canina `Inermis' (collected from Buzău and Brașov). From the analysis of the characters of the grafted plants, a number of aspects were found: the rootstock of R. canina `Laxa' showed a larger diameter of the grafting point in all varieties; 'White Chocolate', formed the longest shoots, regardless of rootstock; the number and diameter of the shoots were the characters least influenced by the variety/rootstock influence; `Explorer' grafted on R. canina `Laxa' recorded direct correlations between the diameter of the grafting point and the number of shoots, the length of the shoots and of the internode of the shoots, the length of the shoots and the number of leaves; indirect correlations were recorded between the diameter of the grafting point and the number of shoots/plant in `Nina' and `Catrina' varieties grafted on R. canina `Laxa', and in `Explorer' and `Catrina' varieties grafted on R. canina `Inermis' (from Brașov); indirect correlations also appeared between shoot length and diameter in 'White Chocolate' grafted on R. canina `Laxa'.