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Influence of Mulching on Replantation Disease in Sour Cherry Orchard
Increasingly, in orchards around the world that are planted one after another, disturbances are observed, and these issues with growth and development are called replantation disease. It is manifested mainly by poor tree growth after planting and poor ripening. One way to reduce replantation disease is to improve soil fertility after many years of fruit tree cultivation. The aim of the work was to evaluate the growth and yield of cherries after replantation and to compare this with a site where fruit trees had not grown before. The trees were planted at two sites: after the replantation of the cherry orchard (OR1) and in a site where fruit trees had not been cultivated before (OR2). Two combinations were used in each orchard: boiler without mulching (C), mulch—after planting mulching with a substrate after growing mushrooms (M). The trees at the site after replantation grew and bore less fruit than in the position where fruit trees had not grown before. The disease also affected some of the quality characteristics of the fruit. This resulted in an increase in fruit weight and a darker color (L*) and a higher value of hue fruit color. Mulching, which is often recommended in orchards planted after previous cultivation, did not provide the expected improvement. It did not significantly affect tree growth and yield. Only an effect on the content of components in the soil was observed, but it affected the condition of the trees. In addition, we analyzed how experimental combinations responded to climatic conditions by calculating the correlations between the SAT (sum of active temperatures) and the stages of tree development.
Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on Tree Growth and Nutrient Content in Soil and Cherry Leaves (Prunus cerasus L.)
Nitrogen fertilization ensures the proper growth of trees. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of differentiated nitrogen fertilization on selected parameters. It was assumed that such analysis is an indirect picture of the needs of cherries grown in herbicide fallow. The content of minerals in two layers of the soil, in leaves, and its influence on tree growth, and the content of chlorophyll in leaves were assessed. The experiments were carried out in three different cherry orchards. Three levels of fertilization were applied in each orchard: 0 kg, 60 kg, and 120 kg N ha−1. As expected the fertilization resulted in an increase in the content of nitrate and ammonium forms of nitrogen in the soil, however, their content was also dependent on precipitation and temperature. Additionally, high nitrogen fertilization increased the content of phosphorus and potassium and decreased the magnesium in the topsoil layer. High nitrogen fertilization caused the decreased content of phosphorus and potassium in the leaves. The level of calcium and magnesium in leaves increased with fertilization of 60 kg N ha−1 but decreased with the dose to 120 kg N ha−1. The use of nitrogen fertilization increased the vegetative growth of trees measured by leaf area and trunk cross-sectional area. However, the chlorophyll content was not dependent on the amount of nitrogen fertilization. Based on the results, it can be concluded that 60 kg N ha−1 is the optimal dose, ensuring proper nutrition of cherry trees.
Weather Conditions, Orchard Age and Nitrogen Fertilization Influences Yield and Quality of ‘Łutówka’ Sour Cherry Fruit
Nitrogen fertilization is a basic agrotechnical orchard treatment, and affects quality and size of the crops. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of nitrogen fertilization on the yield and quality of sour cherry fruit of the ‘Łutówka’ cultivar. The course of climatic conditions in relation to the timing of flowering and fruiting was analyzed. The trials were carried out in three different experimental sour cherry orchards (quarters) with different planting dates (1999, 2001 and 2002) located at the experimental orchard of the Poznań University of Life Sciences in Poland. In each orchard, three levels of fertilization were used: control without fertilization, fertilization at a dose of 60 kg N ha−1 and fertilization at 120 kg N ha−1. Increasing the dose of N did not have a significant effect on sour cherry yield. However, it resulted in a reduction of fruit weight, extract content, acidity and TSS/TA ratio, whereas the brightness (L*) and redness (a*) of the fruit surface color increased. Temperature and precipitation had the greatest influence on the course of flowering, fruiting and fruit ripening. Particularly important was the course of climatic conditions at the beginning of the growing season, especially during flowering, when there is a high risk of spring frosts. The timing of flowering and fruiting was correlated with the sum of active temperatures. The greatest relationship for the flowering date was found for SAT (sum of active temperatures) when the base temperature equals 11 °C and the temperature for the harvest date equals 9 °C.