From a historical perspective, a high-density orchard is defined as an orchard
with more than 150-180 trees per acre. However, many highly productive
commercial orchards today have 150-180 trees per acre and higher density could
be anything over 180 trees per acre. For the purposes of this publication, there
are several characteristics in addition to tree numbers that are included in a
high-density orchard system. Besides having an increased number of trees per
acre, a high-density orchard must come into bearing within 2-3 years after
planting. To achieve this early production, it is essential to use a precocious
dwarfing rootstock. Although it is possible to restrict the growth of trees on
semi-dwarf rootstocks, they do not have the genetic capacity for early bearing.
CCRES ZeljkoSerdar