INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT POTASSIUM NUTRITION ON MINERAL CONTENT OF LEAVES AND FRUIT QUALITY OF ‘SCHATTENMORELLE’ ON THREE ROOTSTOCKS

In an outdoor pot experiment the influence of different KC1 and K₂SO₄ nutrition (4, 8, 12 meq K/l; normal, high, very high) on sour cherries ‘Schattenmorelle’ (clone 226/80) was investigated.

The rootstocks were: Prunus avium ‘F12/l’, Prunus avium ‘Huttners-Hochzucht’ and Prunus mahaleb ‘Heimann 10’. Trees on ‘F12/l’ and Pr. mahaleb produced higher yields with K₂SO₄ than with KCl nutrition.
Yields generally decreased with increasing KCl and K₂SO₄ supply.
Single fruit weight was higher on Pr. mahaleb than on Pr. avium.

High potassium nutrition increased K content of leaves and fruits.
Increasing KCl supply resulted in higher Cl content in these organs of trees on Pr. avium but had no effect on Pr. mahaleb, whereas higher K₂SO₄ nutrition did not effect SO₄ content.

The content of carbohydrates in fruits was reduced with highest KCl supply, on ‘F12/1’ and Pr. mahaleb more evident than on ‘Huttners-Hochzucht’.

An increasing K₂SO₄ nutrition did not effect carbohydrates but increased the acid content of fruits.

International Symposium on Diagnosis of Nutritional Status of Deciduous Fruit Orchards

R. Konrad, P. Ludders

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1990.274.27