NorEs 177. Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from by on 03/13/18. anced Ca, Mg and K nutrition is important

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1 Nrs 177 FFCTS OF FRQUNCY OF IRRIGATION ON NUTRINT UPTAK OF APPL TRS Thrughut the grwing seasns, 'summerland Red Mclntsh' apple (Malus dmestica Brkh.) n M.26 rtstck grwing utdrs in large buried pts with a range f N nutritin were irrigated daily r twice weekly with the same quantity f water (equivalent t 5.9 mm.day '). Irrigatin frequency affected leaf nutnent cncentratin; leaf Mn andzn increased in 3 f 4 yr, leaf Ca and Mg in 2 yr and leaf N in I yr at the daily irrigatin frequency. Key wrds: Irrigatin frequency, Mclntsh apple trees, leaf N, leaf Ca, leaf Mg, leaf Zn. lef Mn [ffets de la fr6quence d'irrigatin sur l'absrptin d'6l6ments nutritifs par des pmmiers. I Titre abr6g6: Irrigatin et nutritin de pmmiers. Au curs des saisns de vdg6tatin de 1980 a 1983, des pmmiers'summerland Red Mclntsh' (Malus dntestica Brkh.) sur prte-greffem.26 pussant en plein air en grs r6cipients enterr6s et nurris de diverses fumures aztees nt 6t6 irriguds qutidiennement u deux fis la semaine avec la mdme quantit6 d'eau (dquivalente d 5,9 mm/jur). La fr6quence d'irrigatin influe sur la cncentratin fliaire de substances nutritives; en effet, les teneurs en Mn et en Zn fliaires augmentent dans tris ann6es sur quatre, celles de Ca et de IVIg fnt de mome dans deux ann6es et la cncentratin de N augmente dans un an d la fr6quence d'irrigatin qutidienne. Mts cl6s: Fr6quence d'irrigatin, pmmiers Mclntsh, nutritin fliaire en N, nutritin fliaire en Zn, nutritin fliaire en Mg, nutritin fliaire en Ca, nutritin fliaire en Mn Irrigatin is required frm May thrugh September fr successful grwth f tree fruits in suthern interir valleys f British Clumbia. Althugh mst irrigatin is presently applied by sprinkler systems, there is likely t be an increased prprtin f rchard area under trickle irrieatin as ld rchards are replanted. Since t.i.t te irrigatin invlves frequent additins f water t the rtzne (Bucks et al. 1982), there is a need t investigate nutritinal respnses f trees t high frequency irrigatin. Labratry studies using sunflwers (Helianthus annuus) as indicatr plants have already suggested imprved nutrient uptake under watering equivalent t trickle irrigatin (Stevensn 1978). The relative uptake f Ca, Mg and K with varying irrigatin frequencies shuld be investigated, since as has been fund previusly, bal- Can. J. Plant Sci. 66: (Jan. 1986) anced Ca, Mg and K nutritin is imprtant in lcal rchards (Neilsen and dwards 1982). The bjective f this study was t cmpare leaf N, Ca, Mg, K, Mn and Zn nutritin, f newly planted 'Summerland Red Mclntsh' (Malus dmestica Brkh.), grwing under a range f N nutritin and subjected t tw irrigatin frequencies. Single l-yr-ld 'Summerland Red Mc- Intsh' trees n M.26 rtstck were planted in buried cncrete pts, 0.9 m in diameter and 0.6 m deep, with a 1.6-cm drain hle, in May Spacings between pt centers were 2.J m by 3.0 m. The interpt area was cvered with gravel and kept free f vegetatin. The pts were painted inside with asphalt and filled with sil frm the surface l5 cm f an Osys lamy sand (Kelley and Spilsbury 1949) btained frm a field n the Summerland Research Statin, nt recently in rchard. Since May 1980, the trees have been di-

178 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLAN.T SCINC vided int treatments invlving three rates f N fertilizatin and tw frequencies f irrigatin in a factrial randmized blck design with six replicates.

2 178 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLAN.T SCINC vided int treatments invlving three rates f N fertilizatin and tw frequencies f irrigatin in a factrial randmized blck design with six replicates. N fertilizer (as NH4NO.) was applied unifrmly n the pt surface (fr fld irrigatin) r immediately beneath trickle emitters in appprximately mid-may each year at rates f 0, 50 r 100 kg N'ha-1. Irrigatin treatments were generally applied frm mid-may t I Oct. each year. The high-frequency irrigatin treatment invlved applicatin f 3.9 L f water'pt I'day r by trickle irrigatin, abut 2h aday,7 days a week. In the lwer frequency irrigatin, the same quantity f water per week was applied but twice weekly by fld irrigatin. The irrigatin quantity (5.9 mm depth f water per day) apprximated the average applied per day via irrigatin t that sil series in the Summerland area. Standard rchard practices f pruning and pest cntrl were applied t the trees as required. A standard drmant ZnSO spray was applied t the trees in early April 1981 and 1983, therwise n additinal nutrient sprays were made. In mid-july , abut 30 leaves were cllected frm each tree frm mid-third prtins f extensin grwth. After ven-drying at 65"C and grinding in a Wiley mill, a 1-g subsample was dry-ashe d at 4'7 5'C and taken up in 0.5 M HCI prir t analyses fr Ca, Mg, K, Mn, and Zn by atmic absrptin spectrphtmetry. An apprximately 100-mg leaf subsample was als analyzed fr N using the Kjeldahl methd. Analysis f variance was perfrmed n all leaf cncentratins t cmpare the effects f irrigatin frequency and rate f N fertilizatrn. Althugh there was a zer N treatment, leaf N cncentratin was generally adequate, averaging 2. 46V, 2.21 V, 2.38V and 2.O4V fr all trees in , respectively. Until 1982, nly a single tree had a leaf N cncentratin which wuld be cnsidered lw accrding t British Clumbia standards while in 1983 fur trees had lw leaf N cncentratins. This may have reflected mineralizatin f N frm rganic matter cntained in the sil in the pts and the dependence f early tree grwth n riginal tree N reserves. Nevertheless cmmencing in l98l, the N fertilizer treatments significantly increased leaf N cncentratin. A similar N range ccurred fr bth irrigatin frequencies as shwn by a lack f significant interactin between irrigatin and N fertilizer treatments. Results btained fr the irrigatin treatments were thus valid fr leaf N cncentratins which ranged frm an average f 1.84V (0 kg N'ha 1, 1983) t (100 kg N'ha ', 1980). There were few effects f N fertilizatin rate n measured leaf nutritin althugh in leaf Mg was significantly increased while in 1982 leaf K was significantly decreased at the highest N fertilizatin rate (data nt shwn). Leaf nutrient cncentratins, if affected, were generally increased by the mre frequent irrigatins during the grwing seasn (Table 1). Significant increases with high frequency irrigatin were measured in 3 yr fr Mn and Zn, 2 yr fr Ca and Mg and in a single year fr N. Leaf Mg increases fr high frequency irrigatin in 1982 may have been a result f the afrementined psitive assciatin f leaf Mg and N. In cntrast, leaf K was nt significantly affected by the tw irrigatin frequencies used. Significant increases in leaf P, Ca, Mg and K but decreases in leaf N have previusly been reprted by Masn (1958) fr M.VII rtstcks grwn in 7.5-inch (19-cm) pts, watered daily t field capacity when cmpared with similar apple plants allwed t wilt regularly prir t watering. In Masn's 1958 experiment, leaf N was decreased under wet cnditins when n leaching was allwed. In ur experiment, where free drainage and hence leaching ccurred and irrigatin treatments were bth adequate accrding t Okanagan irrigatin nrms, leaf N was either unaffected r (as in 1982, the wettest year) significantly increased with the high frequency irrigatin. Hwever, with nly 1 yr shwing a signif-

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3 NILSN AND STVNSON - IRRIGATION AND APPL NUTRITION c? 4!@ z F N a 5 a-: R " 99': _ t * _ d * :''- - :: r -tqr -- t * S"ln n x i nw C ; * N-x- +< vq S "l * S.l.j q.*- *\:: "' ga ^ '5\ {ia n,a *ian! a :: c z F3 - z O@ O t -^ 1"1 P * nn q I O :s :.j? N i-: z :s SX5; 3 'n kdf!:: C Z \ 3 : - Z!'" " -i n n r _- "'l'l=? c -:q?ry d - iq q ".i^iz aaaz ): --r +! - d -.n a, 1r x inn \ FsS >hr t.^.b -- *:::2Y==--2 \"- s"" v?n C; Od r N r NN.- OO O aa -il U r-f ij '1 1@ n * -r.-!-'-n O x > O yr >Lv,>Lv] r-n,-<+^',-c au,-u- F+ Tb!' 3!: H 3! P A.r: : I.t : -F i 0 "F F ej -d 6 F gn I -d O F B! >= d >--! 6 z "t ; af > a.!jo >{ :t -.=O -,2:: >J2 =.- Bt ++x icant leaf N increase, apparently irrigatin frequency will nt be a majr factr in imprvement f leaf N uptake f apple trees. The small but significant increases in leaf Ca and Mg measured in half the experimental years wuld be advantageus in mst Okanagan 'McIntsh' rchards where Ca and Mg nutritin is generally inadequate relative t K nutritin (Neilsen and dwards 1982). In cntrast, the lack fincreased leaf K cncentratin measured, suggests that the twice weekly irrigatin frequency used in this experiment was nt severe enugh t reduce K uptake as reprted fr apple trees by many ther researchers when sil misture cnditins are inadequate (Byntn and Oberly 1966). The mst cnsistent increases resulting frm high frequency irrigatin were fr leaf Mn andzn. High frequency irrigatin thus wuld appear t be advantageusfrzn nutritn which is ften marginal in suthern interir British Clumbia (Annymus 1983). Increased leaf Mn is f n knwn practical cnsequence fr 'Summerland Red Mclntsh', althugh excessive leaf Mn cncentratin, as assciated with the bark measles disrder f 'Delicius' apple trees in British Clumbia (Fisher et al. 1977) mightbe mre prbable with high frequency irrigatin. In summary, these results suggest that high frequency irrigatin can result in sme imprvements in N, Mg and Zn nutritin which are smetimes inadequate in the Okanagan. Hwever, relative annual increases in cncentratin f these nutrients averaged less than l07 except fr Zn in 7 yr. The magnitude f these increases is thus small relative t increases which can result fr Mg frm successful fliar sprays (Neilsen and Hyt 1984), r fr N, frm adequate weed cntrl practices (Atkinsn and White 1980). Als, it culd be rhat the practical significance f the respnses wuld be less under rchard cnditins where apple trees d nt have a limited rt zne, as in this experiment. Hwever, these findings suggest the high frequency irrigatin pssible thrugh trickle methds need nt be limited by nutritinal cnsideratins.

4 180 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT SCINC Annymus Tree fruit prductin guide fr interir districts. British Clumbia Ministry f Agriculture and Fd, Victria, B.C. 12pp. Atkinsn, D. and White, G. C Sme effects f rchard sil management n the mineral nutritin f apple trees. Pages inmineral nutritin f fruit trees. D. Atkinsn et al., eds. Butterwrths, Lndn. 435 pp. Byntn, D. and Oberly, G. H Apple nutritin. Pages l-50 in Nutritin f fruit crps. N. F. Childers, ed. Hrticultural Publicatins, Rutgers. 888 pp. Bucks, D. A., Nakayama, F. S. and Warrick, A. W Principles, practices and ptentialities f trickle (drip) irrigatin. Adv. Irrig. l: Fisher, A. G., atn, G. W. and Prritt' S. W Internal bark necrsis f 'Delicius' apple in relatin t sil ph and leaf manganese. Can. J. PlantSci. 57:2'/ Kelley, C. C. and Spilsbury, R. H Sil survey f the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. British Clumbia Dept. f Agric., Victria, B.C. and Dminin Dept. f Agric.. Ottawa. Ont. Masn, A. C The effect f sil misture n the mineral cmpsitin f apple plants grwn in pts. J. Hrtic' Sci. 33: Neilsen, G. H. and dwards' T Relatinships between Ca, Mg and K in sil, leaf and fruits f Okanagan apple rchards. Can. J. Sil Sci Neilsen, G. H. and HYt, P. B Field cmparisn f chelated and epsm salt magnesium fliar sprays n apple trees. HrtScience l9(3): Stevensn, D. S Interactin between sil vlume and added fertilizers under cntinuus watering. Can. J. Sil Sci. 58:271-2'74. G. H. NILSN and D. S. STVNSON Research Statin, Agriculture Canada, Summerland, British Clumbia V]H IZ0. Cntributin n. 615, received 15 Feb. 1985, accepted29 JulY 1985.

5 This article has been cited by: 1. K. R. verett, L. M. Byd, H. A. Pak, J. G. M. Cutting Calcium, fungicide sprays and canpy density influence pstharvest rts f avcad. Australasian Plant Pathlgy 36:1, 22. [Crssref]

Scientia Horticulturae, 3 (1975) Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

Scientia Horticulturae, 3 (1975) Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands Scientia Hrticulturae, 3 (1975) 89--94 Elsevier Scientific Publishing Cmpany, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands EFFECT F NITRGEN FERTILIZATIN N YIELD AND FRUIT IL CNTENT F AVCAD TREES A.B. ABU AZIZ,