Root system development of container-grown apple nursery trees as affected by rootstock, container type, and substrate composition
Abstract
The quality of planting material is a key factor determining the successful establishment and long-term productivity of i n tensive orchards. In container nursery systems, plant development largely depends on the interaction between rootstock gen o type, container design, and substrate composition, which influence root system architecture, nutrient and water uptake, and biomass accumulation. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of rootstock, container type, and substrate compos i tion on the formation of belowground and aboveground biomass of two-year-old apple nursery trees grown in container cu l ture. The experiment included two rootstocks differing in vigor, two container types, and three substrate variants with different physical properties. Plant growth was evaluated at the end of the growing season based on root system biomass and abov e ground biomass formation. The results showed that rootstock genotype significantly affected plant biomass formation. Trees grafted onto the more vigorous rootstock formed greater total biomass compared with those on the dwarfing rootstock, with differences reaching 25–35% depending on growing conditions. Container type also influenced plant development: containers with improved root-zone aeration stimulated the formation of a more branched fibrous root system and increased root mass by 15–20% compared with standard containers. Substrate composition affected the balance between root and shoot development. Substrates with higher air-filled porosity promoted more intensive root growth, whereas mixtures with higher water-holding capacity stimulated the formation of aboveground biomass. The study demonstrates that the interaction between rootstock, container type, and substrate composition plays an important role in optimizing container nursery technologies and improving the quality of planting material for intensive fruit production systems.References
Amoroso, G., Frangi, P., Piatti, R., Ferrini, F., Fini, A., & Faoro, M. (2010). Effect of container design on plant growth and root deformation of littleleaf linden and field elm. HortScience, 45(12), 1824–1829.
Atkinson, D. (2000). Root characteristics: Why and what to measure. In: Smit, A. L., Bengough, A. G., Engels, C., van Noordwijk, M., Pellerin, S., van de Geijn, S. C. (Eds.). Root methods. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Pp. 1–32.
Barrett, G. E., Alexander, P. D., Robinson, J. S., & Bragg, N. C. (2016). Achi-eving environmentally sustainable growing media for soilless plant cultivation systems – A review. Scientia Horticulturae, 212, 220–234.
Bulygin, S., Kucher, L., Panchuk, Т., Kava, L., Moroz, S., Havryliuk, O., Yevchenko, O., Honchar, M., Retman, M., & Melnychuk, F. (2025). The effectiveness of agrotechnical anti-erosion measures on sloping soils in the conditions of the forest-steppe of Ukraine. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 26(8), 174–186.
Burnett, S. E., Mattson, N. S., & Williams, K. A. (2016). Substrates and fertilizers for organic container production of herbs, vegetables, and herbaceous ornamental plants grown in greenhouses in the United States. Scientia Horticulturae, 208, 111–119.
Carlile, W. R., Cattivello, C., & Zaccheo, P. (2015). Organic growing media: Constituents and properties. Vadose Zone Journal, 14(6), 1–13.
Carlile, W. R., Raviv, M., & Prasad, M. (2019). Organic soilless media components. Soilless Culture, 6(1), 303–378.
Dehodiuk, S., Davydiuk, H., Klymenko, I., Butenko, A., Litvinova, O., Tonkha, O., Havryliuk, O., & Litvinov, D. (2024). Agroecological monitoring of water ecosystems and soils in the basin of a small river under the influence of anthropogenic factors. Agriculture and Forestry, 70(4), 109–135.
Ellis, B. W. (2024). Container and small-space gardening for the South: How to grow flowers and food no matter where you live. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
Freschet, G. T., Roumet, C., Comas, L. H., Weemstra, M., Bengough, A. G., Rewald, B., Bardgett, R. D., De Deyn, G. B., Johnson, D., Klimešová, J., Lukac, M., McCormack, M. L., Meier, I. C., Pagès, L., Poorter, H., Prieto, I., Wurzburger, N., Zadworny, M., & Cornelissen, J. H. C. (2021). Root traits as drivers of plant and ecosystem functioning: Current understanding and future research needs. New Phytologist, 232(3), 1150–1163.
Gilman, E. F., & Paz, M. (2014). Root system morphology influenced by container design, retention time, and root pruning. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 40, 16–26.
Gilman, E. F., Paz, M., & Harchick, C. (2016). Effect of container type and root pruning on growth and anchorage after planting Acer rubrum L. into landscape soil. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 42(2), 73–85.
Gruda, N. S. (2019). Increasing sustainability of growing media constituents and stand-alone substrates in soilless culture systems. Agronomy, 9(6), 298.
Guo, D., Xia, M., Wei, X., Chang, W., Liu, Y., & Wang, Z. (2008). Anatomical traits associated with absorption and mycorrhizal colonization are linked to root branch order in twenty-three Chinese temperate tree species. New Phytologist, 180(3), 673–683.
Havryliuk, O., Shevchuk, N., & Mazur, B. (2023). Quality indicators of one-year columnar apple seedlings. Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, 19(5), 105.
Havryliuk, О., Kondratenko, Т., Mazur, B., Kutovenko, V., Mazurenko B., Voitsekhivska, O., & Dmytrenko, Y. (2022). Morphophysiological peculiarities of productivity formation in columnar apple varieties. Agronomy Research, 20(1), 148–160.
Ignatenko, O., Moiseichenko, N., Makarova, D., Trokhymchuk, H., Vasylenko, V., Havryliuk, O., Kishchak, O., Honcharuk, Y., & Hrusha, V. (2024). Adaptability of apricot varieties in the Right-Bank Subzone of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Agronomy Research, 22(1), 127–145.
Ivanova, I., Serdiuk, M., Malkina, V., Tonkha, O., Tsyz, O., Shkinder-Barmina, A., Verkholantseva, V., Palianychka, N., Mushtruk, M., & Rozbytska, T. (2022). Factorial analysis of taste quality and technological properties of cherry fruits depending on weather factors. Potravinarstvo: Slovak Journal of Food Sciences, 16, 341–355.
Kim, H. S., & Kim, K. H. (2011). Physical properties of the horticultural substrate according to mixing ratio of peatmoss, perlite and vermiculite. Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer, 44(3), 321–330.
Kormanek, M., Małek, S., Banach, J., & Durło, G. (2023). Effect of changing substrate density and water application method on substrate physical properties and container-grown seedling growth. Forests, 14(7), 1490.
Larcher, F., & Scariot, V. (2009). Assessment of partial peat substitutes for the production of Camellia japonica. HortScience, 44(2), 312–316.
Larrey, M., Tandonnet, J.-P., Saint Cast, C., Cookson, S. J., & Vivin, P. (2025). Exploring how graft length shapes root system architecture and morphology in grapevine rootstocks. OENO One, 59(1), 8226.
Lynch, J. P. (2013). Steep, cheap and deep: An ideotype to optimize water and N acquisition by maize root systems. Annals of botany, 112(2), 347–357.
Majsztrik, J., & Owen, J. S. (2020). Improving nutrient management in the cultivation of ornamental plants in greenhouse, container and field production. In: Dixon, R., & Aldous, D. (Eds.). Achieving sustainable cultivation of ornamental plants. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge. Pp. 279–302.
McCormack, M. L., Dickie, I. A., Eissenstat, D. M., Fahey, T. J., Fernandez, C. W., Guo, D., Helmisaari, H., Hobbie, E. A., Iversen, C. M., Jackson, R. B., Leppälammi-Kujansuu, J., Norby, R. J., Phillips, R. P., Pregitzer, K. S., Pritchard, S.G., Rewald, B., & Zadworny, M. (2015). Redefining fine roots improves understanding of below-ground contributions to terrestrial biosphere processes. New Phytologist, 207(3), 505–518.
McCormack, M. L., Guo, D., Iversen, C. M., Chen, W., Eissenstat, D. M., Fernandez, C., & Li, L. (2017). Building a better foundation: Improving root-trait measurements to understand and model plant and ecosystem processes. New Phytologist, 215(1), 27–37.
NeSmith, D. S., & Duval, J. R. (1998). The effect of container size. HortTechnology, 8(4), 495–498.
O’Connor, A. S., Klett, J. E., & Koski, A. J. (2018). Container type affects root development of Chanticleer® pear (Pyrus calleryana ‘Glen’s Form’) during landscape establishment. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 44(4), 165–173.
Pavlichenko, A., Dmytrenko, O., Litvinova, O., Kovalova, S., Litvinov, D., & Havryliuk, O. (2023). Changes in gray forest soil organic matter pools under anthropogenic load in agrocenoses. Agronomy Research, 21(3), 1266–1277.
Poorter, H., Bühler, J., van Dusschoten, D., Climent, J., & Postma, J. A. (2012). Pot size matters: A meta-analysis of the effects of rooting volume on plant growth. Functional Plant Biology, 39(11), 839–850.
Raviv, M. (2017). Can compost improve sustainability of plant production in growing media? Acta Horticulturae, 1168, 119–133.
Sabatino, L. (2020). Increasing sustainability of growing media constituents and stand-alone substrates in soilless culture systems – An editorial. Agronomy, 10(9), 1384.
Savvas, D., Gianquinto, G., Tüzel, Y., & Gruda, N. (2013). Soilless culture. In: Baudoin, W., Nono-Womdim, N., Lutaladio, N., Hodder, A., Castilla, N., Leonardi, J., & De Pascale, C. (Eds.). Good agricultural practices for greenhouse vegetable crops: Principles for Mediterranean climate areas. FAO. Pp. 303–354.
Schafer, G., & Lerner, B. L. (2022). Physical and chemical characteristics and analysis of plant substrate. Ornamental Horticulture, 28, 181–192.
Venig, A., Teușdea, A. C., & Peticilă, A. (2025). Optimizing nursery production of apple trees: Assessing the dose response to water and fertilizer in two cultivars. Horticulturae, 11(12), 1425.
Zhu, H., Wang, Y., Li, X., Chen, Y., Zhang, Y., & Fang, H. (2021). Morphological and chemical traits of fine roots are linked to their functions in nutrient acquisition. Scientific Reports, 11, 12329.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons «Attribution» 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
