Effect of boron fertilization on yield and fruit quality of 'Elstar' and 'Sampion' apple cultivars.
Wojcik, P. P.; Cieslinski, G.;
Acta Horticulturae Year: 2000 Issue: No. 512 Pages: 189-197 Ref: 16 ref.
2000
บทคัดย่อ
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of B fertilization of Elstar and Sampion apple trees on yield and fruit quality. The investigation was carried out during 1994-96 at Skierniewice. Trees of cultivars Elstar and Sampion were grafted on M.26 rootstock and planted on sandy loam soil with low pH, low organic matter and low B concentration. Three B treatments were applied:(i) B application to the soil at a rate of 2 kg B/ha as Bortrac (16% B as boric acid), (ii) B sprayed before bloom at a rate of 0.67 kg B/ha at green and pink bud and beginning of flowering (total rate of 2.01 kg B/ha per year), (iii) B sprayed after bloom at a rate of 0.67 kg B/ha with the first treatment applied at petal fall and the next two at 2-week intervals (total rate of 2.01 kg B/ha per year). Trees without B fertilization served as control plots. Boron increased Elstar and Sampion fruit set and yield only when sprayed after bloom, but in some years of the study this treatment decreased fruit weight. Boron spr
ays after bloom increased fruit Ca concentration which resulted in increased apple firmness after storage and decreased sensitivity to bitter pit and internal breakdown for Sampion apples. In contrast, apples of the Elstar cultivar showed decreased storage quality when sprayed with B after bloom, suggesting that Elstar apples are more sensitive to B excess than those of Sampion. Although both spraying with B after bloom and application of B to the soil increased B and Ca concentrations in apples, the latter treatment did not affect yield, fruit harvest and postharvest quality. Results showed that the requirement of apple trees for B is cultivar dependent and the method and timing of B application could be critical for efficient B use by apple trees.