ISHS Acta Horticulturae 531: II ISHS Conference on Fruit Production in the Tropics and Subtropics
EFFECTS OF FRUIT LOAD ON THE NUTRIENT UPTAKE AND DISTRIBUTION IN CITRUS TREES |
| Author: | F. Lenz |
| Keywords: | Citrus madurensis Lour., calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, source-sink relationship, root, stress physiology, transpiration, water use efficiency |
| Abstract:
Rooted cuttings of Citrus madurensis were grown in sand culture with nutrient solution in pots in the greenhouse at Bonn. The Citrus trees were allowed, by flower removal, to set 50 or 100 fruit per tree or no fruit. Non-fruiting trees developed the largest leaf area and assimilated the largest dry matter per tree. Water consumption per tree decreased with increasing fruit load from 0 to 100 fruits per tree due to larger leaf area of the non-fruiting plants and was increased with increasing fruit load, when expressed per kg leaf dry matter, due to the larger transpiration per leaf area of the fruiting trees. Phosphorus allocation was not affected by fruit load. Potassium concentrations declined in shoots and in leaves with increasing fruit load, whereas calcium concentrations of all organs, viz roots, shoots, leaves, flowers and fruits with increasing fruit load, while the total amount of calcium in the Citrus trees decreased with increasing fruit load. | |
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