Foliar nutritional content and apple fruit quality as affected by organic, conventional, or integrated management

Abstract

This research aimed to compare two levels (medium and high) and three types of fertilization (organic, chemical, and integrated) in both foliar nutritional content and fruit quality of Golden Delicious apple variety. The foliar concentration of macro and micronutrients was affected neither by fertilization level nor fertilization type, with the exception of potassium which reached their highest concentration in the high level of chemical fertilization (T1-HC). Regarding the fruit quality attributes, results showed no statistical differences in weight, size, firmness, pH, and starch content between the level and type of fertilization. With the high level of organic fertilization, the best apple color was found, while the medium level of organic fertilization showed the highest concentration of both soluble solid content and total phenolic compounds. Thus, fertilization level had greater influence than the fertilization type. Results also showed that under organic fertilization management is possible obtaining a foliar nutritional content and fruits quality attributes similar to those treated with chemical fertilizers. Future studies must be carried out for elucidating the impact of long-term organic fertilization on the fruit quality and foliar nutritional content of other crops.