Grafting technology and flowering and fruiting characteristics of monoecious Pistacia chinensis

Objective This paper aims to investigate the effects of different grafting methods and different scion types on the grafting survival rate of Pistacia chinensis, as well as the sex performance and fruiting characteristics of monoecious grafted trees.

Method We used naturally dispersed 6-year-old P. chinensis young trees and 2-year-old P. chinensis live seedlings as rootstocks, selected 8 monoecious scion-seed trees and 25 branches of P. chinensis from different seed sources as scions, and grafted them by branching and budding. We statistically analyzed the survival rate of P. chinensis grafting, the sex performance of scion before and after grafting, and the fruiting characteristics of grafted trees.

Result (1) The grafting method and the type of scion material had a significant effect on the grafting survival rate of P. chinensis. The average survival rate of branch grafting was significantly higher than that of bud grafting. The average grafting survival rate of the scion from Xihu Lake in Zhejiang Province of eastern China was the highest, which was significantly higher than those of 13 seed sources such as Xingtai in Hebei Province of northern China, Guanyin Mountain in Yunnan Province of southwestern China, and Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province of eastern China, etc. That of the scion from Guanyin Mountain in Yunnan Province was the lowest, which was significantly lower than those of other seed sources. Except for Pcb3-19 and Pcb1-2, Pcb3-18 and Pcb1-3 were significantly higher than the average survival rate of other grafting types. (2) The sex types of current year’s branches of monoecious grafted trees were not exactly the same as those of their scion types before grafting, indicating that the sex of monoecious grafted trees was unstable. (3) At the single-plant level, the fruit traits of monoecious grafted trees were better than those of monoecious live trees, and the fruit traits of female flowers in monoecious grafted trees were superior to those of hermaphrodite flowers.

Conclusion At the single-plant level, the female flowers and fruits of the monoecious grafted trees have the best traits. The use of branch grafting and the selection of female flowering branches from monoecious plants can increase the survival rate of grafting and improve fruit traits of monoecious P. chinensis. The study provides a theoretical basis for the grafting technology of rapid breeding of monoecious P. chinensis and improvement of its fruit traits.