BIBLIOS

Document type
Journal articles

Document subtype
Full paper

Title
Nutrient Content with Different Fertilizer Management and Influence on Yield and Fruit Quality in Apple cv. Gala

Participants in the publication
Mariana Mota (Author)
Maria João Martins (Author)
Gonçalo Policarpo (Author)
Layanne Sprey (Author)
Mafalda Pastaneira (Author)
Patrícia Almeida (Author)
Anabela Maurício (Author)
Cristina Rosa (Author)
João Faria (Author)
Miguel B. Martins (Author)
Miguel L. de Sousa (Author)
Ricardo Santos (Author)
Rui M. de Sousa (Author)
Anabela B. da Silva (Author)
Dep. Biologia Vegetal
BioISI
Henrique Ribeiro (Author)
Cristina M. Oliveira (Author)

Summary
Assessing a plant’s nutritional status and fertilizer rates and types that can optimize fruit quality and yield are critical in intensive apple orchards. The aim of this work was to identify correlations between nutrients in the different organs that allow the early diagnosis of the nutritional status and to assess the impact on the optimal nutrient content in apple leaves, as well as in the yield and quality of chemical and organic fertilization. Five orchards of ‘Gala’ were fertilized with different levels of NPK over a period of four years. Macro and micronutrients of buds, flowers, 45 and 90–110 days after full bloom (DAFB) leaves and 60 DAFB and 15 days before harvest (DBH) fruits were determined. Boron was the only element for which strong correlations, 0.7 < r < 0.9, were observed between all organ pairs. The fertilization treatments did not affect the nutrient concentrations in the leaves of 90–110 DAFB other than P, Ca and Mg and did not affect the macronutrients in the fruit. In one of the five orchards, the yield increased by 26% with double fertilization compared to standard fertilization and, for the other four orchards, the impact depended on the year. Fruit size was more related to crop load than to fertilization and TSS and firmness were not affected by the type or amount of fertilizers. Replacing part of the chemical fertilizer with organic materials did not affect productivity or fruit quality.\n


Institution
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA

Where published
Horticulturae

Publication Identifiers
ISSN - 2311-7524

Publisher
MDPI AG



Document Identifiers
DOI - https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8080713
URL - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8080713

Rankings
SCIMAGO Q1 (2021) - 468 - Horticulture
Web Of Science Q1 (2021) - 2.923 - HORTICULTURE - SCIE
SCOPUS Q1 (2020) - 3.4 - Horticulture

Keywords
bud; flower; leaves and fruit elements; nutritional status; chemical and organic fertilization; productivity