Nutrient inflows into apple roots

Abstract

The rates of uptake of nutrients from solution by apple roots were measured (a) in a root laboratory, using intact roots of mature trees growing under field conditions and (b) in controlled environment using young trees. Maximum nitrate inflows into Discovery/M.9 roots under field conditions were only slightly lower than those into roots of the same genotype in controlled environment, but up to 80 times lower than those into roots of Worcester Pearmain seedlings. At any given external P concentration, P inflows into roots of field-grown trees were about 2.5-times lower than those into the roots of young trees in controlled environment.