EFFECT OF INTENSIVE FERTIGATION ON GROWTH, YIELD AND LEAF MINERAL CONTENT OF GRAPEVINES AND DECIDUOUS FRUIT TRESS.

Drip fertigation enables to control the root environment in terms of water potential, mineral concentration and aeration.
Daily fertigation provides mean for supplying water and minerals at the rate of consumptive use by maintaining constant water potentials and mineral concentrations in the root zone and varying them according to the needs at various stages of growth and development.
Petiole mineral analysis was found to be a better mean for diagnosis of the nutritional status than blades of grapevines.
Leaf mineral analysis of peaches apples, prunes and plums sampled before harvest were found to be highly correlated with the concentrations found in the irrigation water and the root environment.
Good correlations between yields, vegetative growth and leaf mineral content was found, provided good light regime was maintained by proper pruning.

Crop load expressed as the ratio between the amount of yield and the vegetative growth was found to affect the leaf mineral content.

The ratio of yield to pruning weight was found to be a good measure for crop load in grapevines whereas the ratio of yield to the increment of the cross sectional area of the trunks was found to serve as a good measure for crop load of deciduous fruit trees.

International Symposium on Diagnosis of Nutritional Status of Deciduous Fruit Orchards

B.A. Bravdo

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1990.274.9