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INFLUENCE OF SIZE OF TIPS USED IN
BLACK RASPBERRY PROPAGATION 0N
SUBSEOUENT GROWTH AND YIELD

THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF M. 8.

Earl Martin Berry
1931.?

 

 

 

(1.;

INFLUENCE OF SIZE OF TIPS USED IN BLACK RASP-
BERRY PROPAGATION ON SUBSEQUENT GROWTH AND YIELD.

THESIS

SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY OF MICHIGAN
STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE.

BY
EARL HART IN war

1932

W 541.22/732-
//f %

THESIS

 

'1. '.
A I

INTRODUCTION

When looking over a raspberry plantation one
notes not only missing plants. but a certain per-
centage of small and weak. though healthy;plants.
The loss of plants before they come into bearing
together with the individual differeneel in prob,
duction is of real importance to the fruit grower.
If it is found that failure to grow in the field
is usually associated with small size of tip. or
if small. weak. unproductive plants as they are
found in the field is likewise associated with
small size of tip. these things can be avoided by
selecting more suitable tips for plantdng.

93907

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

According to Teske and Gardner.(4). Michigan.
as well as the country as a whole. has shown a steady
decline in raspberry production during the past gener-
ation. They cite the main reason for this decline as
the dying out of plants after the plantation is started.
due primarily to soil conditions. poor care and disease.
Their data show that the total cost of establishing a
raSpberry plantation. and bringing it up th the bearing
age (one year). was an average of 9 69.80 per acre. The
cost is approximately the same in caring for a field with
a one hundred percent stand as it is with a fifty percent
stand. Profits or losses in the raSpberry business depend
primarily on yield per acre.

Hoffman and Schlubatis. (1). state that root develop-
ment and depth of penetration were closely correlated with
the height of the water table. Top growth. yield of fruit
and longevity of the plant were directly proportional to
root development.

Yield and size of berries have been found. by Johnston.
(2). to be directly proportional to the diameter or size of
cane. In this study. records of individual canes are not
available but production from the average canes in each
group is tabulated and this correlates with Johnston's work.

Johnston.(5). states that the size of the tip is re-
latively unimportant in determining the subsequent yields of
the plant. except possibly in the ease of tips weighing from

three to five-sixteenths ounces.

The purpose of this study is to determine
whether any benefit can be derived from careful

tip selection in black raSpberry propagation.

(in

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PROCW'U;

In September. 1929. arrangements were made with Mr.E.V.
Ewald. who lives one-half mile west and one mile south of
Hartford, Van Buren County. Kichigan. to use his plants for
the carrying out of this project.. This field cf Cumberland
raSpberries was selected because it was recommended by Mr.E.
C. mandenberg. State Inapector of Orchards and Nurseries. as
being one of the cleanest fields in south-western Hichigan.
It was a three acre. five—year—old field. and had survived
two rigid inepections a year by state inepectors since it was
planted.

In early September. 1989. one hundred of the strongest
and healthiest plants in the field were tagged and tipped for
the purpose of producing new plants for this study. In the
Spring of lace the young plants were dug from around the
above-mentioned mother-plants and were divided into three
groups. according to the diameter at the base of the "handle"
and the size of the root system. As a basis for selection.
the plants with a "handle" diameter of one-fourth inch or
above were classed as the "strong" group. those ranging from
three-sixteenths to one-fourth inch were placed in the"medium"
group and those plants with a "handle" diameter of less than
three-sixteenths of an inch were placed in the "weak" group.
The size of the root system was directly proportional to the
above mentioned cleatification. If either the diameter of the
”handle" or the size of the root system did not come up to

the standard. the plant has placed in the next lower group.

"6)

fixtra precautions were taaen to select a field well-
drained and of the proper soil structure. The locstion
selected for the eXperinental field was on a rather high
elevation and sloping gently to the north and east. It is
favorably situated for atmOSpheric and soil drainage. The

surface soil is a gravelly, sandy loam about six to ten in—

Q:

ches deep; the subsoil is'lihewise sandy an gravelly. but
contains enough clay to retain water satisfactorily. ioweven
water dr ins through it well enough to permit good aeration
and hence deep root penetration.

On April Bl st.. 19b0, 150 plants from each of the three
groups were set out in the new field. eight by four feet
apart. two rows to each group, seventy-five plants to a row.
During the summer these plants were cultivated five times
and hoed twice so were Kept entirely free from weeds. Four
inepections were made for diseases. of which none were dis-
covered. but several of the weafier plants failed to grow at
all. Shortly after planting and again in the Spring df 1931
each plot was fertilized with sulphate of ammonia at the rate
of 100 lbs. per acre.

After growth had ceased for the first year. diameter
measurements in millimeters were made at the base of 100
canes in each group. Representative plants were selected and
all the canes of each plant were measured. This work was re-
peated at the end of the second season.

This field was under the close supervision of Ir. Ewald

and was cultivated and cared for identically the same as he

(2:.

would care for any field. The new shoots were topped for

the purpose of growing new plants. so it was impossible to

collect data on the length of shoots. although the correla-

tion between cane diameter and plant production and between

cane diameter and fruit production is availabee. In the

Spring of 1951 close watch was Kept on the development of

the field. All diseased plants or those which had died from

the winter were recorded. The laterals were cut back to approx-

imately six inches in length. which is recommended by Johnston(2L
Harvesting was begun on July 8 th. and completed July 85 rd.

involving six pickings. Yields were recorded in pints and pounds

from the reapective groups of plants.

d)

This study was begun with the selection and
tipping of the mother plants. but the first data
of any importance was collected from the classifi-
cation of the young plants into the three respect-
ive groups. in march. l9u0. Just a month before the
plants were dug. there was a heavy snow storm which
broke off many of the smaller plants. At least a

hundred were lost.

Table l.- YOung plants at the beginning of the pro-
Ject divided into the three respective groups '
according to the diameter at the base of the
handle. and the size of the root system. /1

total of 808 plants were included in the class-

 

 

ification.

Name H Size Number
Weak 1% 1/4" & above 182
Medium 5/16" - 1/4" 435
Strong Under 5/16" 193

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the first summer's growth no signs of
disease showed up. but several plants,especially in
the "weak" group,failed to start growth. Mbet plants
survived the winter of 1950-1931 in good condition
with the exception of a small per:bentage infected
with crown gall which was not noticeable on the mother

plants.

flfl

Table 11.-. Number of missing plants at time of

first harvest (July 8-1951).

 

Cause weak Medium Strong

 

 

Failed to grow 59 (26%) 3(25) C(03)
Winter killed 1930- '51 4 (2.63%) 0(07'5) 0mg)
Died of crown gall be-
fore harvest of 1951 5 (273) 8913i) H.671;

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 111.— Average diameter in millimeters of 100
canes in each of the respective groups.
Representative plants in each group were
selected. All the canes of each plant

were measured.

 

 

 

 

Group HIRE
# First year Second year
weak 8.02 mm. 10.54 mm.
Medium 8.56 mm. 11.14 mm.
Strong 9.52 mm. 10.78 mm.

 

 

 

 

 

The numbersof new canes produced by the respective
groups were diredtly proportional to the strength of the
group. The "medium" p1ants averaged .49 canes more than

the "weak" p1ants while the "strong" p1ants averaged .68

canes more than the “medium" plants. This did not hold
true to the average number of plants produced per cane
in the three groups. The "strong" group producing the

largest number of canes per plant averaged the least

(”3

number of plants (2.29) per cane. The "weak" group
stood second (5.59 p1ants) while the “medium" group
averaged the most plants (5.60) per cane. The yield
correlated with the number of canes in each group.
The "medium" group averaged 5.58 ounces more fruit
per plant than the "weak" group. The"strong" group
averaged .55 ounces more fruit per plant than the

fimedium" group.

Table lv.-Production record on project for first
season (1950-1951).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date weak ‘ medium Strong
of .
picking Pints Lbs. Pints Lbs. Pints Lbs.
July 8 52 25-5 72 50-6 62 42-11
" 10 15 10-5 24 16-4 29 19-6
" 15 r a i n r a i n 58 27-10
" 14 25% 17-6 48 52-5
" 16 4; 2-8 9 6-2 20 14-10
" 20 7 5-0 15 9-2 20 15-2
" 23 2%- 1-14 4% 3-2 8 5-8
Total H 86-}; 60-14 170-}; 117-5 177 122-15
No.0f
plants 104 145 149
Av.produc-
tion per
plant in
ounces 9.56 12.94 15.27
Av.canes
produced
per plant
1950 1.74 2.25 2.91
Av.plants
produced
per mother '
plant 1950 5.90 8.05 6.66

 

 

 

 

DISCUSSION

After checking over the yield record of the three
groups of plants very little difference will be ob-
served between the "medium" and "strong" groups. but
a decided difference will be found between the "weak"
and "medium" groups.

Every plant set out in the above-mentioned "weak"
group. as well as the "medium" and "strong" groups.
was tipped by a successful fruit farmer in south-west-
ern Michigan and would have been sold to a leading
nurseryman as first class plants. In comparison with
the products of numerous other plant growers these
plants would be classified as No. 1 stock. The owner
of the plantation set out over two and one-helf acres
of his own p1ants adjacent to the eXperimental patch
and a good comparison could be made. many plants similar
to those in the "weak" group failed to grow in this
field. Low yield from the "weak" plants together with
such a large per centage which fail to grow. as compar-
ed with the "medium" and "strong" groups. would be suf-
ficient reason to discard such plants when setting out

a new plantation.

1.

I)?
o

SUEU'?Y

In classifying the plants in this study. approx-
imately one-fourth fell into each of the "weak"
and "strong" groups. The remaining one-half com-
posed the ”medium" group.

26% of the plants in the "weak" group failed to
start growth. In the "medium" group only 5% fall-
ed to grow while every plant in the "strong"

group was alive at the end of the first season.
The average difference of 5.56 ounce) of fruit per
plant between the "weak" and "medium" groups was
recorded. while there was only an average differ-
ence of .55 ounces between the plants of the "med-

ium" and "strong" groups.

ACLLNO 37“ ED 3.32.331! T 3

The writer wishes to express his sincere
thanks and appreciation to Professor V. R. Gardner.
head of Department of Horticulture. michigan State
College. for suggesting this problem and for his
kind assistance and many valuable suggestions dur-
ing the progress of this work. He also wishes to
thank Er. E. W. Ewald. on whose farm this study

was made. for his interest and cooperation.

()1
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LITERATUIE CITED

Hoffman. n. B. and Schlubatis. G. R. - The
Significance of Soil Variation in Raspberry
Culture.- Mich. Agric. Exp. Sta. Sp. Bul.l77.
1938.

Johnston. S.- Winter Pruning the Black Raspberry.
Hich. Agric. Exp. Sta. Sp. Bu1.l45. 1925

Johnston. S.- The Value of Plant and Tip Selection

in the Prop aga ation of the Black 3aspberry.- Iich.

Agric. Exp. Sta. uarterly Bul. 4:195-1199. 1951

Tesze.A. I. and Gardner. V. R. - Lanagement
Kethods in the Raspberry Tlantation.- Kich. Agris.

Exp. Sta. Sp. Bul. 165. 1927.

fie)

Following are three views of the raspberry plots
taken from different angles to show the comparative

development of the respective groups.

 

Figure l.—View of raspberry plot at 8 weeks of age
showing the two rows of 'weak' plants at the extreme
right. immediately to the left are the 'medium‘ and

‘Strong' groups respectively.

 

 

 

Figure ll.- View of rasgberry plot at 8 weeks of age
taken on the left row of the 'medium' plot. The 'weak'
rows can be seen at the extreme right and the 'strong'

rows Just to the left of the row from which the picture

was taken.

(13‘)

 

Figure 111.— View of raspberry plot at 8 weeks of
age taken between the two 'strong' rows. Immed-
iately to the right are the 'medium' and 'weak'
plots respectively.

following are individual pictures of repre-
sentative plants in each plot. showing comiarative

development at the end of the first year's growth.

 

 

Figure 1V.- 'Strong' plant

 

Figure V.-

 

I
Figure Vl.- 'Weak' plant.

'Hedium' plant.

(m

 

 

Figure Vll.- View showing comparative development of
root systems and7hmdkfldiameters of representative
~specimens in each plot. The specimen at the left is
representative of the 'strong' plant. The specimen:

in the center is representative of the 'medium' plant.
The Specimen at the right is representative of the

'weak' plant.

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