EFFECT OF INTERSTOCK ON GROWTH AND LEAF MINERAL CONTENT OF VALENCIA AND NAVEL ORANGE TRANSPLANTS

Abstract

This study was carried out in controlled greenhouse of Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt. Two famous citrus rootstocks sour orange (C. aurantium.) and volkamer lemon (C. volkamariana.) were tested as interstocks at the stage of transplant production to investigate their mutual effects on the scion growth characteristics, mineral content, carbohydrates, total indols and phenols from side; and rootstock growth traits. nitrogen content, carbohydrates, indols and phenols from the other side. In the first experiment the results indicated that Valencia orange scion budded on C. volkamariana interstock grafted on C. aurantium rootstock gave the highest significantly zinc in leaf content, total carbohydrates in scion stem and C/N ratio in scion stem, and Valencia orange budded on C. volkamariana grafted on C. volkamariana revealed significantly the highest leaf area, N, P, K, Mn content in leaf, total N in stem, total N in root, total indols in vegetative growth and indols / phenols ratio in root system.