COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF CONTROLLED RELEASE FERTILIZER AND FERTIGATION ON MINERAL STATUS OF MALTAISE HALF BLOOD ORANGE ORCHARD

This study was conducted to compare the effect between a controlled release fertilizer (CRF) to soluble fertilizers on the leaf and soil mineral status of citrus orchard.
Experiments were conducted on 10 years old bearing Maltaise “1/2 blood orange” cultivar trees (Citrus sinensis Swingle) grafted on sour orange [Citrus aurantium (L.) Osb.] grown in sandy soil.
In treatment 1, trees received two applications of CRF: before the start of spring flush (17N-12P₂O₅-18K₂O +2MgO) and after fruit set in July (13N-5P₂O₅-27K₂O +2MgO). In treatment 2, trees were fertigated with soluble fertilizers at the same quantity of nutrients as treatment 1, but distributed throughout the growing season.
Leaf SPAD index was significantly higher in trees receiving CRF than fertigation.
For leaf mineral concentration, only leaf K was affected by fertilizer source.
At the end of the season, soil mineral concentration also seemed to be not affected by fertilizer source excepted for K.

VII International Symposium on Mineral Nutrition of Fruit Crops

R. Farah, M. Ben Mimoun

citrus, SPAD, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.984.26