-
Fertiliser handling and safety
- Blended fertiliser quality
- Environment and recycling
- Fertiliser labelling
- Fertiliser security and safety
- Fertiliser spreading
- Fertiliser storage
- Fertiliser technology
- Handling and Transport
- IFA Protect & Sustain Program: Product Stewardship
- Physical properties of fertilisers
- Storage of YaraVita products
-
- Search
Increasing pome fruit yield
Plant nutrients are essential building blocks of crops. In order to obtain high pome fruit yields it is important to achieve the right balance of fruit number on the tree.
Trees with a heavy load will have more disorder problems, because the high numbers of fruits compete for the available calcium. Equally, those with a low fruit load could suffer from calcium dilution problems because fruit size is large. Thus, a correct balance between crop load and fruit size is important.
All crop nutrients must be available to the crop at the required rate and balance.
Crop Nutrition and Pome Fruit Yield
Nitrogen, calcium and potassium are required in greatest quantities by pome fruit crops.
Nitrogen is critical to maximize early season tree, leaf and fruit growth. Typical removal in apple fruit is around 0.6kg of N per ton of fruit annually.
Large amounts of calcium are needed within the tree to support crop production. Most of this is taken up during early periods of growth. Only a small proportion of calcium finds its way into the fruit. As a result, annual crop removal is less than 0.1 kg/t of fruit.
Maximum potassium uptake occurs during the fruit filling stage, and is later than the peak of nitrogen and calcium. It is a key driver to maximize fruit yield and weight with on average 1.4kg removed per tonne of apple crop harvested.
Relatively low levels of phosphorus are used by pome fruit crops and uptake occurs readily throughout the season. Soil supplies can commonly meet needs, however during peak periods of demand, fertigation, foliar, or fruit applications may be necessary.
Magnesium is important to maintain good growth, but removal is low at less than 0.1kg/t of fruit.
It must be ensured that boron, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc are also not limiting.
Related articles
Increasing pome size
Size is a critical characteristic for grading pome fruits. A minimal size, determined by the diameter of the equatorial section, is required on all grades. An evenly shaped and sized fruit is desired for the fresh market and also for canning. Pome fruit...
Increasing pome fruit weight
Pome fruit weight is an important element for increasing yields. Provided that a desired quality is maintained, the aim of growers is to produce heavier fruits. Crop nutrition plays an important role on increasing apple weight.
Increasing pome fruit firmness
Over-use or late applications of nitrogen reduces apple firmness, potentially resulting in more damage in transit and storage, and a reduced shelf life.
