i
Contents
Introduction...................................1
Biology..........................................3
Vegetative and
reproductive buds................................3
Primary bud break..................................3
Secondary bud break.............................6
Leaves. ..................................................6
Flowers and fruit. ...................................6
Pollination. .............................................7
Propagation...................................9
Rooting ability and stock
plant etiolation.....................................9
Stool bed preparation.............................9
Softwood cuttings.................................10
Mist bed structure. ............................... 11
Misting schedule..................................12
Tissue culture.......................................13
Seedling plants versus clonally
propagated plants. ............................13
Plant variability between a seedling
orchard and a clonal orchard. ........... 13
Degree of variability among
seedlings...........................................14
Seed-propagated plants and
juvenility. ...........................................14
Clonal plants and precocity..................15
Cultivars......................................17
Cultivar descriptions.............................17
Honeywood. ..................................................... 17
JB30................................................................. 18
Martin. .............................................................. 18
Nelson.............................................................. 19
Northline........................................................... 19
Pembina........................................................... 20
Smoky. ............................................................. 20
Thiessen........................................................... 21
Other named cultivars..........................21
Most commonly planted cultivars......... 22
Orchard Establishment. ..............25
Climatic considerations........................25
Site selection........................................25
Topography....................................................... 25
Row orientation. ............................................... 26
Soil. .................................................................. 26
Shelterbelts. ..................................................... 26
Water availability. ............................................. 27
Planting time........................................27
Hardening off plants......................................... 28
Pre-planting preparation................................... 28
Planting. ........................................................... 28
Traditional planting........................................... 29
Deep planting: an experimental
method......................................................... 29
Deep planting: open furrow method................. 29
Calculating number of plants. .............. 30