| Stored reserves are critical for the early spring growth of reproductive and vegetative sinks in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.). To study the distribution of carbon storage reserves on new, highly productive hybrid rootstocks in sweet cherry, an experiment was established using 5-yr-old cv. 'Regina' on the semi-vigorous rootstock 'Gisela®6' ('GI®6'). Using whole-canopy enclosure chambers, five trees were pulse-labeled three times with high levels of 13CO2 during the fall. At leaf drop, leaves, buds, wood, bark and roots were sampled for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The storage organs with the highest percentages of excess 13C atoms were the roots and the older wood in the trunks, branches and buds. During the spring, newly... |
