USE OF SPAD METER IN DIAGNOSIS OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN APPLE AND GRAPEVINE

We report data about the use of the Minolta SPAD-502 leaf chlorophyll meter as a portable and easy to use instrument, for more rapid and less expensive diagnosis of nutritional status of fruit trees and grapevines than the traditional leaf analysis.
SPAD values have been correlated to leaf nutrient concentration to verify if it is possible to monitor and predict fertilization requirements of apple and grapevine on which only a few SPAD data are available in the literature.

During five years (1995-1999; approx. 2000 records) grapevine and apple leaf samples were tested by SPAD measurements and leaf analyses.
A preliminary procedure was executed annually to calibrate SPAD values with leaf chlorophyll contents.
On the same leaf samples mineral content was also determined.
SPAD values were significantly correlated to N and P leaf concentrations in grapevine; whilst SPAD values were correlated to N, Ca, K, and Mg values in apple.
Examples of SPAD utilization for evaluation of fertilizer trials are reported for grapevine and apple to show how this instrument could be applied to optimize fertilizer application.

IV International Symposium on Mineral Nutrition of Deciduous Fruit Crops

D. Porro, C. Dorigatti, M. Stefanini, A. Ceschini

apple, grapevine, nutritional status, SPAD-502

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.564.28