Abstract
The fertilizing management for apple tree is essential, especially for nitrogen, one of the most important nutrients affecting fruit yield. Thus, an experiment an experiment was conducted in 2012 and 2013 to evaluate the fruit production, yield and leaf chlorophyll of ‘Princesa’ and ‘Eva’ apples as a function nitrogen fertigation under Brazilian semiarid conditions. The experimental design consisted of randomised blocks, with treatments distributed in a factorial arrangement 2 x 4, corresponding to apple cultivars (Eva and Princesa); and nitrogen doses (160, 120, 80 and 40 kg of N ha-1), with four replications and three plants. Calcium nitrate was used and nitrogen source (15.5% of N) with applications twice a week during 40 days, reaching 12 fertilizing performances through irrigation water. The following variables were evaluated: i) fruit production per plant (kg plant-1); ii) fruit yield (t ha-1); iii) number of fruits per plant; iv) leaf chlorophyll meter readings (index); and v) leaf nitrogen concentration (g kg-1). Princesa apple cultivar if compared to ‘Eva’ presents a better fruit production performance under in Brazilian semiarid. Furthermore, nitrogen doses fertilized through irrigation water have no effect on fruit production of Eva and Princesa apple cultivars during the first production cycle.
Highlights
Brazil is the third main worldwide producer of apples (Fao, 2014) with more than 42 ton millions produced, nowadays concentrated in regions with warm climate, the potential for production under different climates.The apple tree is native to temperate climate zones where most commercial cultivars satisfy their required chilling temperature, expressed as hours at less than 7oC (Tromp, 2005)
Such publications concluded that it is possible to obtain apple yield under semiarid conditions for the pollinator cultivar, additional studies especially for technical and fertilizing management are necessary to generate an apple production system that is reliable under semiarid conditions
The present work aimed at evaluating the fruit production, yield and leaf chlorophyll of ‘Princesa’ and ‘Eva’ apples as a function nitrogen fertigation under Brazilian semiarid conditions
Summary
Brazil is the third main worldwide producer of apples (Fao, 2014) with more than 42 ton millions produced, nowadays concentrated in regions with warm climate, the potential for production under different climates. To produce temperate fruit crops, such as apple, in tropical areas it is necessary to overcome plant dormancy and choose low chilling requirement cultivars, such as ‘Anna’ (Njuguna et al, 2004) and ‘Princesa’ apples This way research projects have been performed aiming to grow apples under different conditions from those required by this crop such as Ashebir et al (2010) in northern Ethiopia, Njuguna et al (2004) in Kenya and Liu et al (2008) in China. In Brazil, apple crop has been studied in São Paulo State Northeast (Chagas et al, 2012) and in Brazilian Semiarid (Lopes et al, 2012; Lopes et al, 2013; Oliveira et al, 2013) Such publications concluded that it is possible to obtain apple yield under semiarid conditions for the pollinator cultivar, additional studies especially for technical and fertilizing management are necessary to generate an apple production system that is reliable under semiarid conditions. The present work aimed at evaluating the fruit production, yield and leaf chlorophyll of ‘Princesa’ and ‘Eva’ apples as a function nitrogen fertigation under Brazilian semiarid conditions
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