Today I removed another bunch of dead trees — plums, pluots, peaches — all on Citation rootstock, all originating from Dave Wilson Nursery (DWN). They live for 3-5 years and die a slow death from crown gall. The roots of these dead trees look just terrible, a mess of crown gall knots that rotted away. I have some long-lived trees on Citation that still do ok, and they came from sources other than DWN, so I would guess that the real issue is that DWN trees come infected with crown gall. However, once you had such a tree, the soil in that location will be infected with crown gall bacterium (Agrobacterium tumefaciens) and any tree planted in that location will get infected. All new plum and pluot trees I use as replacements are on Myro 29C rootstock and they seem to do ok at the same spots, at least so far. Myro is not immune to crown gall but seems to tolerate it better, although only time will tell if these trees will live long healthy lives.
This has been my experience with Citation as well. I have been replacing all plums/pluots over the last couple years with Myro29C…Lovell for peaches.
I have to say that the 5 Apricots I have on Citation have all been vigorous and I have yet to lose one.
Hi Stan.
Very bad news if your trees are affected by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
I do not know the situation in other countries, but in Spain there are several institutions, for example the CITA of Aragon, Aula Dei in Zaragoza, etc … all of them are official institutions that belong to the CSIC ( Council Higher of Research Scientific ) that are working in the development of rootstocks resistant to this type of problem.
It is a very bad problem , especially if it has been introduced into your orchard through infected plants from supposed professional nurseries.
To date, there is no rootstock that is absolutely resistant to this disease, but there are rootstocks that offer good resistance.
In this document of the CITA of Aragon, characteristics of some rootstocks for almond trees are evaluated, and there is interesting information, since the rootstocks obtained from plum (both vigorous and not very vigorous have a certain resistance to Agrobacterium).
2017_015.pdf (90.0 KB)
I am going to attach a photo , where the resistance to Agrobacterium of different rootstocks is appreciated.
It is interesting, since rootstocks widely used in the United States have been evaluated.
For these types of problems, I always like to recommend a rootstock, which I don’t know if you will have it available in the United States:
- Adesoto 101 Puebla de Soto
It has a tremendously resistant root behavior to all kinds of problems.
When I talk about this rootstock I like to use this photograph that is very descriptive.
It is my friend Peret’s peach plantation, located in the Ebro river delta (the water in this river is tremendously salinized), and the peach plantation remains flooded for long periods of time annually.
Despite the salinity and waterlogging, the plantation produces without any problem, and the trees are not affected.
This rootstock behaves like a “champion” in the face of any adversity in heavy, flooded soils, etc …
Regards
Jose
Thank you very much for the information Jose! Unfortunately, I’ve never seen the “Adesoto 101” rootstock available in the US.
The Dave Wilson Nursery is a huge company and currently it’s an almost exclusive provider of fruit trees to retail nurseries in California. They use the Citation rootstock a lot (probably 70 to 80 percent of their plum/pluot/apricot/peach trees), and Citation is notorious for its susceptibility to crown gall.
Well this very concerning with my 20+ trees 
Sean , be problems wtih 20 trees is not a big concern.
Some years ago, I had my collection of cherry trees on the Santa Lucia rootstock (prunus mahaleb), we are talking about 80 or more different varieties of cherry, and about 250 trees.
The Santa Lucia rootstock is a real delicacy for the big-headed worm (Capnodis Tenebrionis), and I had to re-graft all my cherry trees to a rootstock resistant to this pest.
I used Monrepos rootstock, which we will talk about later, as I am preparing a monograph on cherry dealing with all aspects of this fruit variety.
When these problems occur, it is necessary to solve it properly.
Regards
Jose
Ohh, how I need this rootstock. Adesoto 101 you say. What are the chances of being allowed to import such rootstock? Half of my property pretty much looks like the picture you posted, where the trees pretty much sits in water for the majority of the winter. I’m in great need of a root stock that can make it through such conditions.
Sorry about that Stan. I’ve not seen any crown gall or vigor issues with Apricot/Aprium on Citation. They are still growing gangbusters in my old house. Come to think of it even Flavor Supreme is doing great (although it barely fruited) and it was planted inches away from Flavor King which died of CG. These trees are now 7 years old. I think if the grafted variety is vigorous, it is able to somehow overcome any CG related effects.
Hi MockY.
Yes indeed, it is impressive to see the resistance to root asphyxia of the Adesoto rootstock even in the most difficult conditions.
I know that the rootstocks of the Spanish company agromillora (Rootpac series), if they are available in the United States.
But the rootstocks from Agromillora are destined for super-intensive farming.
Adesoto, Adara, and Monrepos, have been selected to solve very specific problems, and therefore do not have such a great commercial interest.
As far as I know, Adesoto is not available in the United States (and it is very unfortunate), it is a variety of plum that multiplies with tremendous ease (just leave a cutting in the ground and water it and it will root sure to 100% ).
I do not know the United States legislation for the importation of vegetable plant material, but I know the European one, and despite to have a lot of bureaucracy, it is not an impossible subject.
This is the Spanish website with the regulations for the importation of vegetable products
In the United States there will be something similar to this.
Here in my country an Adesoto rootstock, certified virus-free, can cost around 80 cents of a euro (1 dollar approximately), it is a pittance compared to the problems it solves.
Hi bleedingdirt.
Your reasoning is very well directed, in fact the vigor and strength of the tree has a tremendous influence on its ability to overcome the disease.
One of the methods of fight against Agrobacterium, is the treatment with phytofortificants that help the plant to defend itself from the infection.
I only know one company that performs this type of treatment successfully in Spain , it is this company :
https://www.fitofortificantes.net/agrobacterium.html
Regards
Jose
It seems like @applenut addressed this some years ago in the Home Orchard Society Forums. While it does not seem all too complicated to go through the screening of the scion wood, I would still need a sponsor that would be willing to send the scion to the selected quarantine facility.
You mentioned some other rootsstocks. Are you saying there are versions of Adesoto 101 already in the USA?
Looking around, I can find a few documentations about this rootstock. Apparently they trialed it in Illinois, which you can read about here:
It seems very highly susceptible to bacterial canker according to them, which would negate its positives. A Royal Crimson cherry I planted last year is absolutely inundated with bacterial cankers, and would therefore try to avoid this (the only tree in my entire orchard so far thankfully).
I addressed this issue in a different thread https://growingfruit.org/t/sap-leakage-on-royal-crimson-cherry/
MockY.
Adara and Monrepos are two selected rootstocks of Mirabolan plum (prunus cerasifera), with excellent qualities of adaptability to all types of terrain and compatible in grafting with cherry.
What happens is that both Adesoto and Adara have been selected at the Aula Dei experimental station in Zaragoza.
We will talk about these two rootstocks in a post that I am going to open, dedicated entirely to the cherry tree.
In the United States the Adara rootstock is well know , it is very vigorous, very resistant to heavy and limestone soils and immune to root-knot nematodes (which spread Agrobacterium disease).
The bacterium Pseudomonas Syringae, which causes bacterial canker “are more big words”, and there is no rootstock resistant to this disease (that I know of), there are only preventive control methods.
It’s scary to even talk about this disease.
Regards
Jose
Then Adara (Puente) is the rootstock that I will be hunting for. Thanks.
So with that said, who’s got some? 
Ditto
I haven’t found this to be the case in my experience. I have lost several vigorous Pluots, pluerries and plums to crown gall…all in different areas around my yard and none replanted in areas other trees succumbed to crown gall.
I solarized the soil in those areas for a season by covering the soil in the summer with black plastic and have since replanted the areas with trees on Myro. All have been going strong so far…some for going on 5 years, so fingers crossed.
Jose,
Thanks for sharing your orchard experiences. I don’t often get an opportunity to read about stonefruit growing practices around the Mediterranean.
When I read your comment about this I immediately suspected that Adesoto probably suckers like crazy. My suspicions were confirmed when I found this page from U. of California.
Here in the U.S. this would be a pretty big drawback for commercial growers. Most peach growing areas of the U.S. get substantial rainfall and therefore use herbicides to control weeds. With profuse suckering, not only does the orchardist have to control the suckers themselves with mowing, but in many cases suckering prevents the use of systemic herbicides in areas with significant rainfall.
For most backyard orchards in the U.S., suckering generally isn’t a big consideration.
I would be interested to hear if you have to use any pesticides at all, in your orchard?
Hi Mark.
Before answering you, I will tell you that I have been reading about you , on the growingfruit forum for many years and we both have a predilection for the same fruit varieties .
It always caught my attention (and I had a bit of bad envy hahahahaha), for the Lady Nancy peach variety:
But it is a variety of peach with acidity (I hate the acidity in the peaches ).
I love the peach varieties, both with white and yellow flesh with these characteristics
- Large caliber
- High exterior coloration for red skin peaches
- Total yellow coloration for the cling peaches (for this type of peaches, I hate the red color on the insolated part)
- High brix of sugars
- Powerful flavor
- With very low acidity
And exactly the same for flat peaches and nectarines.
Just a few small examples:
- Extreme Great peach, yellow flesh red skin
- Cling Peach Jalon
- Cling Peach Poblet
- Flat Peach ASF-0795 Flatbeauty, white flesh
- Extreme Sunny nectarine , yellow flesh
Regarding Adesoto rootstock, it is used when the ground conditions are so suffocating or salinized , that there is no other choice.
Yes, it does have a tendency to emit suckers , especially in its juvenile state, which is corrected and practically stop to emit suckers when the tree is adult.
This rootstock, independently to its great resistance to soil problems, has two added advantages:
- Anticipate the harvest dates
- It greatly improves the size of the fruits
but it has the disadvantage of emitting sprouts in its youthful state .
At the amateur level, when soil conditions are really bad, this rootstock solves the problems.
Now let’s talk about my orchard.
Due to the climatic conditions of my region, very cold winters, extremely hot summers, and practically no humidity throughout the year due to the lack of rain, I have no problems with fungal diseases.
I only perform the winter treatment (two applications) by fumigation
- First application after the winter frosts
- Second application when the flower is in a pink button state
This floral state
The products that I apply are:
- Copper Oxychloride (will soon be restricted by the European Union, and Calcium Polysulfide will be used instead)
- Paraffin oil
For the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis Capitata), I do massive trapping with plastic bottles, using Diammonium Phosphate as an attractant, dissolved in water, and with a little food coloring, which provides a yellow color that is also attractant.
I don’t have many weed problems in my orchard due to the arid conditions, so using the brush cutter is sufficient
Regards
Jose
Hello Jose,
Is Paraffin oil something like kerosene or lamp oil and what purpose does it have?As an insecticide to smother eggs?
MockY, the Adara and Morepos rootstocks, have the same utility, both are plums with very vigorous growth, compatible in graft with cherries.
It is not very correct to use the Spanish word “Puente” to describe the Adara plum tree.
The Spanish word Puente In English is bridge, and this is specific for when the Adara plum is used as an intermediary graft between a rootstock suitable for the conditions of the terrain, to make it compatible with cherries.
Puente is the Spanish term “colloquial” , intermediary this is the appropriate term.
In the case of the Adara rootstock, it is used in Europe as an intermediary on two rootstocks:
- Mariana 2624 (resulting in the Marilan rootstock)
- GxN 15 Garnem (rootstock many more vigorous than Mariana)
I personally prefer to use Monrepos plum directly as rootstock, it is a real beast.
But do not be in a hurry hahahahahaha, I am preparing a monograph on cherry trees, but it requires a long time to translate documents, now in my country it is the coldest month, and now i’m collecting graft cuttings for my friends (a very hard job, which it takes a lot of time ) .
Don’t worry, we’ll talk extensively about the cherry tree.
Hi Bradybb.
Yes effectively .
Paraffin oil is an oil of mineral origin, highly refined suitable for organic farming, and is used in fruit growing as an insecticide since it produces a film that suffocates both larvae and eggs deposited on trees by aphids and other harmful insects.
Its use is always carried out in a state of winter dormancy once the frosts have passed.
Regards
Jose
Very beautiful fruits Jose! I only which I could grow such beautiful lush fruits with no sprays!
Glad to have you aboard the forum. I hope you keep posting of your horticultural fruit growing practices. It’s been really interesting reading about your hort practices. Again, your pics are beautiful.
I feel like we have to fight like mad here to get a decent fuzzy peach. Getting a decent quantity of good looking nectarines is like winning the lottery. I’ve given up on them as a commercially viable crop. Other, more favorable U.S. climates have an easier road growing commercial nectarines.
Mark, your region is very suitable for growing all kinds of stone fruit.
Your winter is fantastic with sub-zero temperatures similar to mine, the problem you have is that your summers are not excessively hot.
From what I see in meteotube, and climatedata fews days in summer you exceed temperatures above 99 º F, compared to the summer in my region that from mid-June to mid-September, temperatures greatly exceed 104ºF (July and August between 110º, and 112º F), I also see that you have rains during the summer (in my region not a drop of water falls all summer).
So having average temperatures in spring and summer, and a certain level of humidity, are the appropriate conditions for cryptogamic diseases (fungal diseases), and trying to maintain stone fruit varieties in an ecological way in your conditions is quite complicated.
In my case, the fruit from my orchard is for family consumption, providing quality fruit in my restaurant, and giving fruit to friends in my town.
Since I, my wife and my two daughters are going to eat the fruit, I avoid treatment with chemical pesticides.
By doing some good winter treatments ( in your case three treatments ) with copper oxychloride and paraffin oil, you will have the war practically won.
Hahahahaha, the fruits that I have put, are a small example, and they are not my best varieties (it is not logical to arrive as a new member to this magnificent forum, and try to be pretentious), all in due time, step by step when I have more time in the forum, you will see really wonderful varieties.
I just finished collecting cuttings from my orchard a moment ago, and now I am preparing them for sending to friends and keeping them refrigerated in optimal conditions.
I am not sure, if you use the system that I use in the United States, and maybe I should open a post to explain this simple and effective method so that the cuttings remain as freshly cut, at the time of grafting (even halfway summer ) .
With a single request of interest, I open a post and I comment on the method.
Regards
Jose