ISHS Acta Horticulturae 178: Symposium on Nutrition, Growing Techniques and Plant Substrates
SOME EFFECTS OF MICRONUTRIENTS AND LIMING ON THE YIELD, QUALITY AND MICRONUTRIENT STATUS OF CUCUMBERS GROWN IN PEAT |
| Authors: | P. Adams, M.H. Adatia, C.J. Graves, G.W. Winsor |
| Abstract:
The effects of a fritted micronutrient mixture on the growth, yield and micronutrient status of cucumbers were studied in relation to the pH of the peat substrate. The treatments consisted of three rates of application of a micronutrient mixture (F 253A at 0, 40 and 100 g m-2) in factorial combination with four rates of liming (average pH values 5.5, 6.0, 6.7 and 7.2). In the two crops grown, omission of the micronutrients depressed the early yield of fruit by 62–69% and the final yields by 27–49%, accompanied by an increase in the proportion of both poorly developed and mis-shapen fruit. Maximum yield was obtained at pH 5.8–6.4 from plants receiving micronutrients, but liming from pH 5.5–7.2 progressively increased the yield where micronutrients were not supplied (Ca x F interaction, P < 0.01). The leaves of plants grown without added micronutrients contained very low levels of copper (1.5–2.4 μg g-1) irrespective of pH, and a low level of molybdenum (0.15 μg g-1) at pH 5.5; the boron, iron, manganese and zinc contents of the leaves appeared to be adequate for normal growth, even at pH 7.2. | |
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