ISHS Acta Horticulturae 363: III International Symposium on Replant Problems
FERTIGATION EXPERIMENTS WITH APPLE SEEDLINGS IN OLD ORCHARD SOIL |
| Authors: | G.H. Neilsen, E.J. Hogue, J. Braid |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1994.363.11 |
| Abstract:
Fertigation was investigated as a treatment for improving growth of apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh.) in replant soils, previously in apple orchards, in experiments using apple seedlings. In short term (<15 weeks) greenhouse experiments, growth of apple seedlings in response to weekly irrigation of solutions containing the same amount of N as N, NP, NPK or complete (Long Ashton) nutrient solution, was measured for four different soils which were to be replanted. Fertigation of N only, was generally least beneficial to seedling growth, whereas NP and NPK fertigation most consistently increased growth. Use of a Long Ashton nutrient solution had an inconsistent effect on growth. K deficiency, ameliorated by NPK fertigation, was identified as the major limitation to growth at a high pH site. Use of seedling tests seemed to underestimate the subsequent response of apple trees to K in the field. However, needs to monitor pH and salinity of fertigated soils and investigate fumigation-fertigation interactions were implied by seedling responses. | |
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