ISHS Acta Horticulturae 383: Mineral Nutrition of Deciduous Fruit Plants
POTASSIUM FERTILIZATION TRIALS IN COMMERCIAL APPLE ORCHARDS IN POLAND |
| Authors: | D. Wrona, A. Sadowski, J. Ostrowska |
| Keywords: | fertilizer needs, soil K concentration, leaf K concentration, tree growth, yield |
| Abstract:
Since spring 1987 potassium fertilizer trials have been carried out in five commercial apple orchards, located in two regions of Poland, showing a low soil and leaf K concentration. Depending on soil texture, doses of 100 and 200 or 200 and 400 kg K2O per ha were applied every year and compared with unfertilized control. Available K concentration in the A1 soil horizon increased considerably during the first two years of study and even more during the following years, attaining high values with the highest fertilizer doses. Potassium fertilization tended to increase the leaf K concentration; however, the latter underwent greater variations from one year to another than owing to fertilization. Both in growth and in yield erratic results were obtained; thus, in defiance to initial expectations, K fertilization in those orchards proved needless. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
