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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Growth, survival and multivariate trait analysis of apple dwarfing rootstocks' adaptability in a cold-arid environment

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12960
Submitted
27 November 2025
Published
21-08-2026 — Updated on 31-08-2026
Versions

Abstract

Rootstocks enable fast and economical sapling production, provide strong soil anchorage, regulates tree vigour, improves water and nutrient uptake and enhance the plant's ability to withstand harsh winter conditions. The performance of four apple rootstocks (M-9, MM-111, MM-106 and P-22) was evaluated under open-field and hi-tech polyhouse conditions in the cold-arid region of Ladakh during 2020–21 at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kargil, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir. The experiment was conducted in a two-factor randomised block design with 4 replications, assessed growth, vigour, survival, mortality and trait relationships using Pearson correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) using Agri Analyze software. Results indicated that MM-111 recorded the greatest plant height (66.81 cm) and number of shoots (8.62), whereas P-22 exhibited the longest shoot length (15.93 cm). The largest stock girth was observed in MM-111 (1.97 cm). Survival percentage was highest in M-9 (70.87 %), with polyhouse conditions markedly improving survival (86.44 %) compared with open-field conditions (52.15 %) and reducing mortality. Positive and significant correlations were recorded between plant height and survival (r = 0.70**), number of shoots (r = 0.68**) and stock girth (r = 0.48**) and between number of shoots and stock girth (r = 0.55**). Principal component analysis revealed that the first two components (PC1 = 57.58 %, PC2 = 25.94 %) cumulatively explained 83.52 % of total trait variation, with PC1 was strongly associated with stock girth, survival and shoot number and PC2 dominated by shoot length. Findings demonstrate that polyhouse cultivation substantially enhances establishment and early growth of dwarfing rootstocks in Ladakh and that M-9 and P-22 show promising adaptability. Multivariate analysis effectively identified key traits influencing performance, supporting targeted rootstock selection for high-density orchard systems in cold-arid regions.

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