Cleft Grafting Propagation of Pome and Stone Fruit Trees during the Dormancy Period in a Hot Water System

Pome and stone fruit trees are heterozygous and cannot be propagated by seed. Various techniques are used for their vegetative propagation worldwide. The experiment's results are noteworthy, especially in the realm of fruit tree propagation. By utilizing a heated callus with a hot water system, combined with the cleft grafting method, successful propagation of both pome and stone fruit species has been accomplished. The experiment's results were intriguing, revealing varying success rates among different fruit species. The apple, pear, and plum fruit species achieved a higher percentage of callus-forming, adapted, and fruit-planting material compared to the sweet cherry. The highest success rate was observed in apples – 83.1%, followed by pears – 67.5% and plums 63.8%. The sweet cherry, a stone fruit species, had the lowest success rate at 20.6%. These findings open up new avenues for further research and experimentation. The use of a hot water system during the winter dormancy of apple, pear, and plum species has proven to be a successful propagation method. Therefore, we confidently recommend this method for these species, as it can greatly enhance fruit tree propagation practices. This recommendation is based on the solid results and advancements achieved in our experiment. Keywords: fruit tree, hot callus, grafting, planting material, cleft technique