Fruit growing
and viticulture of South Russia

Annotation

Apple varieties have different response to fertilization and changes of root nutrition conditions. For three years, we studied the effect of fertigation on the content of nutrients in the leaves and the yield capacity in apple cultivars: Lobo and Spartan, grafted on rootstock 62-396. Planting scheme is 4 x 1 m, trees were cultivated on meadow-chernozem and dark gray forest soils. The experiment on meadow-chernozem soil was carried in AO "Dubovoe" (Tambov region), the experimental plot on dark gray forest soil was located in OAO "Agronom-Sad" (Lipetsk region). Leaf samples for analysis were taken during periods of the highest demand for the appropriate nutrients: phosphorus at the end of May, nitrogen at the end of June, and potassium in mid-August. Soil samples were taken before orchard planting and in August of the 3rd year of the study. The negative impact of drip irrigation on the content of soil nutrients was noted: the acidity increased on the meadow-chernozem soil, in both types of soil the content of available nitrogen decreased, as well as phosphorus and potassium in the upper layers of the soil. The content of the main nutrients in the leaves under fertigation depended on the variety response to fertilization, as well as on the soil type: the Lobo variety had a higher content of the studied nutrients in the leaves when fertigated on dark gray forest soil. The Spartan variety had a higher content of nutrients in leaves during fertigation on meadow-chernozem soil. Fertigation had a significant effect on increasing the yield capacity of Lobo variety on dark gray forest soil, and the yield capacity of Spartan variety on meadow-chernozem soil.