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  • Author or Editor: Denise Neilsen x
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`Lapins' sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees on Gisela 5 (Prunus cerasus × Prunus cansecens) rootstock were maintained for the first four growing seasons with eight different fertigation treatments. Treatments involved N application at low (42 mg·L-1), medium (84 mg·L-1), and high (168 mg·L-1) concentrations via sprinkler-fertigation of Ca(NO3)2 each year about 8 weeks after bloom. The medium N treatment was also applied with P fertigation in early spring or with K fertigation in June. Nitrogen was also broadcast in early spring at 75 kg·ha-1 or followed with medium N sprinkler-fertigated postharvest in August. As a final treatment the medium root zone N concentration was maintained for 8 weeks postbloom via drip fertigation. Throughout the study, irrigation was scheduled to meet evaporative demand based on an electronic atmometer. Drip fertigation, which wet a smaller portion of the orchard floor, considerably reduced per-tree water applications. Tree vigor and pruning weights were reduced for drip-fertigated as compared to sprinkler-fertigated trees although cumulative yield was not significantly different during the study. Fruit size, however, was smaller for this treatment when crop load was at a maximum at year 4. Future research is warranted to insure fruit size can be maintained for heavily cropping drip-fertigated trees. Leaf and fruit N increased linearly as N concentration of sprinkler-fertigating solution increased from low to high values. Optimum yield and highest fruit quality were associated with the medium N treatment. Sprinkler fertigation of P and K did not increase leaf and fruit concentration of either nutrient or meaningfully affect tree performance.

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A randomized complete block, split-plot experiment with six replicates was established and maintained for the first six fruiting seasons (1999 to 2004) in a high-density apple [Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.] orchard on M.9 rootstock planted in Apr. 1998. This report assesses responses to six main-plot fertigation treatments, each containing three tree subplots of five different cultivars (Ambrosia, Cameo, Fuji, Gala, and Silken). Fertigation treatments were a factorial combination of two nitrogen (N) rates and three N application timings. N was applied at low (28 mg N/L) or high (168 mg N/L) concentrations daily at 0 to 4, 4 to 8, or 8 to 12 weeks after full bloom (wafb). Under greater N inputs, all cultivars had increased midsummer leaf and harvested fruit N concentrations, decreased fruit firmness, and in heavy crop years, decreased percent red color. Annual yield of all cultivars was significantly increased by N rate in a single year, but their cumulative yields were not different between treatments as a result of rate or timing. Altering the timing of N application within 12 wafb only affected leaf and fruit tissue N concentration. Leaf N was higher after 4 weeks of fertigation any time, although concentrations declined over the growing season, reaching minimum values around harvest. Fruit N was increased by fertigation 4 to 12 wafb. Yield, fruit firmness, and color were unaffected by fertigation timing. Critical fruit quality issues for ‘Gala’ and ‘Silken’ were small fruit size, for Ambrosia low fruit numbers, and for ‘Cameo’ soft fruit. ‘Fuji’, which achieved high yield and leaf N concentration and firm fruit, had poor red color regardless of N treatments.

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‘Lapins’ sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) on Gisela 5 (Prunus cerasus × Prunus canescens) rootstock were subjected to a factorial combination of two crop load and eight fertigation treatments from the sixth to the eight growing seasons. Crop load treatments included full crop and dormant spur thinning to remove and maintain 50% of fruiting spurs. The eight fertigation treatments, which had been maintained since the first growing season, included low (42 mg·L−1), medium (84 mg·L−1), and high (168 mg·L−1) concentrations of N applied by sprinkler fertigation of Ca(NO3)2 annually ≈8 weeks postbloom. The medium N concentration was also applied with P fertigated in early spring or K fertigated in June. A standard N treatment involved broadcast application of NH4NO3 in early spring at 75 kg·ha−1 also followed with medium N sprinkler-fertigated postharvest in August. The medium N concentration was also supplied for 8 weeks postbloom through drip emitters. Removal of 50% of fruiting spurs decreased annual yield on average by only 10%. Average fruit size could be increased in years of high crop load (greater than 400 g fruit/cm2 trunk cross-sectional area), but in a year of low crop load (less than 100 g fruit/cm2), fruit size was very large (averaging greater than 14 g) and unaffected by crop load adjustment. Minimal effects on fruit and leaf NPK concentrations, fruit firmness, soluble solids concentration (SSC), and titratable acidity (TA) were associated with yield reductions of 10%. Fertigation treatments resulted in a large range in tree vigor and yield during the experiment. High N applications reduced tree and fruit size and fruit TA and were undesirable. Annual P and K fertigation by sprinklers was generally ineffective, having minimal effects on tree PK nutrition and fruit quality with the exception of increased fruit firmness associated with P fertigation in 2005, when yield was low. Drip-fertigated trees were small, frequently had fruit with elevated SSC, but had deficient leaf K concentrations in 2004 implying a need to fertigate K when drip-irrigating.

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The recommendations for boron (B) sprays in deciduous tree fruit orchards have changed little over the past 50 years. We conducted two 3-year field studies evaluating the effect of two modifications to the existing recommendation for B maintenance sprays on apple (Malus ×domestica) tree nutritional status. A widely recommended Na polyborate-based commercial B spray product was used as the B source. Postbloom sprays of B applied at the recommended annual B maintenance rate of 0.56 kg·ha-1 to `Scarlet Gala' apple trees consistently increased fruit B concentration but had a weaker effect on leaf B concentration in early August, the recommended timing for sampling leaves for mineral element analysis. Applying half or all of the annual B maintenance rate in a spray at the pink flowering stage increased flower cluster and early-season leaf B concentrations as well as having positive effects on fruit and leaf B concentrations. The pink sprays increased flower cluster Na concentration but had no effect on leaf and fruit Na concentrations. In the second study, one-quarter of the annual B fertilizer requirement was tank-mixed with each of four biweekly CaCl2 sprays applied starting in early June for bitter pit control. This treatment consistently increased `Scarlet Gala' fruit B concentration but had a lesser effect on August leaf B concentration. It did not interfere with fruit Ca status, and increased both fruit and leaf Na concentrations. Leaf Na concentration in all treatments was substantially lower than levels associated with specific Na toxicity of deciduous fruit trees. The results of these experiments indicate that applying B sprays at the pink flowering stage timing and tank-mixing B with CaCl2 sprays applied for bitter pit control are useful practices to enhance B spray efficacy and convenience of application.

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This work examined the effect of irrigation frequency and phosphorus (P) fertigation on the levels of phenolic compounds present in two sweet cherry cultivars, ‘Skeena’ and ‘Cristalina’, over three growing seasons (2012–14). Two irrigation treatments were tested: a high irrigation frequency (I1) and a low irrigation frequency (I2). Both irrigation treatments applied the same quantities of water [100% evapotranspiration (ET)], but the high irrigation frequency applied water four times daily (0300, 0900, 1500, and 2100 hr) whereas the low irrigation frequency was applied at one time (0900 hr) every second day. Three soil management treatments were investigated, including 1) an unmulched control receiving no P, 2) a 10-cm waste wood mulch receiving no P, and 3) a treatment involving annual fertigation of 20 g P/tree at full bloom as ammonium polyphosphate. It was determined that cultivar was the most important factor affecting levels of phenolic compounds in sweet cherries, with generally greater levels associated with ‘Skeena’. The effect of different irrigation and fertilization strategies showed less promising results in terms of influencing levels of phenolic compounds. Both severe and mild water stress did not show an appreciable influence on increasing levels of phenolic compounds in cherries. Furthermore, severe water stress, which occurred during 2012, was associated with the lowest annual concentration of phenolic compounds and an economically unacceptable reduction in fruit size. Phosphorus fertigation influenced cherry phosphorus status positively by increasing leaf and fruit P concentrations consistently, yet these fruit exhibited lower levels of phenolic compounds.

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A system for the rapid production of Ottawa-3 (0.3) rootstock (Malus domestica Borkh.) and branched apple nursery stock in the greenhouse is described. The time required for production of a finished' tree, ≈1 year, compared favorably with traditional methods. Cuttings derived from tissue-cultured 0.3 rootstocks rooted well (up to 94% success rate), and the rooting effect persisted in cuttings from tissuecultured rootstocks grown for 1 year in the field. All combinations of two levels of N and P in a Long Ashton nutrient solution were applied weekly to pots containing either tissue-cultured rootstocks or cuttings. The growth rate of tissue-cultured rootstocks exceeded that of cuttings. The growth rate of both sources of rootstocks increased in response to added P and N. Growth of scion shoots (`Royal Gala') increased in response to N. Branch production of `Royal Gala' was greater for trees with the higher P and N rates. Trees on tissue-cultured rootstocks had more branches than those on cuttingderived roostocks at the higher level of N.

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New irrigation practices using controlled soil water deficits offer the opportunity of reducing tree vegetative growth and enhancing fruit quality without decreasing fruit size or yield. We tested partial root zone drying (PRD) and deficit irrigation in `Golden Delicious' trees on M9 rootstock, at Summerland, B.C., Canada. There were four treatments: full irrigation (100% daily ET replacement), both sides irrigation (50%daily ET replacement), deficit irrigation (1 side, 50% daily ET replacement) and PRD (alternating sides, 50% daily ET replacement). The purpose of this study was to determine how deficit irrigation and PRD affect above- and below-ground physiology of apple trees where the amount of irrigation was the same. Soil water content, stem water potential, stomatal conductance and transpiration were significantly higher for deficit irrigation than PRD irrigation (P < 0.05) for both years (2003 and 2004). Root dynamics varied among years. For both years, root production was higher in trees under PRD than in trees under deficit irrigation. Root survivorship was significantly higher for trees exposed to PRD treatment than those exposed to deficit irrigation treatment in 2003 (P < 0.0003), but not in 2004 (P > 0.662). Stem growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality were generally not affected by treatments in 2003. In 2004, however, fruit yield was 37% higher in deficit irrigation than in PRD (P < 0.05). Soluble solids and sugar: acid ratio did not differ between these two treatments. For conditions where the amount of irrigation applied was the same, our results suggest that PRD may be less effective than deficit irrigation.

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A simple flatbed-scanner-based image acquisition system was developed for the measurement of `Gala'/M9 (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) apple tree root growth in rhizoboxes with a transparent acrylic sheet on one side. A tree was planted in the center of each rhizobox, and a modified flatbed scanner was periodically used to directly capture high-resolution digital images of roots growing against the transparent wall. Total root length in the images was either measured manually, or by computer mouse tracing, or automatically with a computer image analysis system. Correlations were made among the different measurements. High quality root images were obtained with the adapted scanner system. Significant linear relationships were found between manual and computer traced root length measurements (r = 0.99), traced and automatic measurements (r = 0.76) and manual and automatic measurements (r = 0.75). Apple roots appeared on the transparent wall 34 days after transplanting, and grew rapidly thereafter, reaching a maximum on the transparent wall 59 days after transplanting. Our results showed that the use of a flatbed scanner for the acquisition of root images combined with computer analysis is a promising technique to speed data acquisition in root growth investigations.

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As roots change color from white to brown, their absorptivity for water and nutrients typically diminishes. The effects of irrigation on root pigmentation were studied during 2003 and 2004 in Summerland, British Columbia, using an experimental orchard of `Golden Delicious' apple trees on M9 rootstocks. Root pigmentation was monitored weekly over the growing season using a minirhizotron camera inserted into clear plastic tubes in the root zone. Each tree had two emitters, one on either side of the bole and ≈30 cm from the trunk. Four irrigation treatments were tested: full irrigation with replenishing 100% of daily evapotranspiration (ET) on both sides of the tree (100% both), 50% ET irrigation on both sides (50% both), irrigating alternating sides of the tree with 50% ET (50% alternating) and one-sided irrigation at 50% ET (50% one-side). The 50% alternating irrigation treatment simulated the irrigation practice of partial root zone drying where irrigation was alternated about weekly from one side of the tree to the other. Root pigmentation was remarkably fast among these trees, with median days to browning ranging from 4 to 10 days among treatments. For 50% one-side trees, root pigmentation on the dry side of the tree was much faster than roots on the wet side (4 and 7 days, respectively; P< 0.007). Otherwise, no additional significant effects of irrigation on pigmentation were detected.

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Direct application of fertilizers in irrigation water (fertigation) has been advocated as an efficient method of fertilizing fruit trees. However, more information is needed on the relationship between irrigation and N inputs in order to target fertigation to meet plant demands. Soil solution NO3-N concentration was measured at three sites in response to the method of fertilizer application in which 25 g N/tree per year was either spring-broadcast with sprinkler irrigation or fertigated at 8 weekly intervals through drip irrigation; the amount of irrigation water in which 50 g N/tree per year was given in 63 daily fertigations with either 4 or 8 liters of water/day for two soil types and the concentration of fertigated N in which either 75 or 150 ppm NO3-N was given in 63 daily fertigations. Soil solution NO3-N concentration decreased rapidly for broadcast fertilizer with sprinkler irrigation and was lower than for weekly fertigation with drip irrigation. Doubling the amount of irrigation water effectively halved the soil solution NO3-N concentration in both the silt loam and loamy sand soils, although concentrations were higher in the silt loam soil. Movement of applied N below the root zone was halted for the silt loam soil by mid-summer with the lower amount of irrigation water, but was only delayed in the loamy sand soil. Doubling the average concentration of N in the irrigation water resulted in a doubling of the concentration of NO3-N in the root zone. A simple model was devised to predict the soil solution NO3-N concentration based on N and water inputs and fitted to measured values for daily and weekly fertigation.

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