FERTILIZATION STRATEGIES TO INCREASE NITROGEN CONTENT IN ORGANIC APPLE TREES IN THE FLOWERING PERIOD Eivind Vangdal and Angela Koort NIBIO, Horticulture Department Ullensvang, Norway
CONTENT Background and aim Better N status in organic fruit trees during flowering How to reach N-levels recommended in conventional fruit growing (types, times etc) Or should we accept lower yield in organic apple production compared to conventional growing? 2
STATUS IN NORWAY IN ORGANIC APPLE PRODUCTION Cultivars: Aroma, Discovery Fungal diseases: Scab! Pests: moths, aphids 3
STATUS IN NORWAY IN ORGANIC APPLE PRODUCTION Recommended NPK 60 20-100 Ca, Mg, B Soil and leaf samples (Fruit analyses) 4
STANDARD FERTILIZATION Organic fertilizer in early spring (mix upper layers with cultivator/tiller) Foliar sprays with calcium, boron etc if/when needed 5
AVAILABILITY AND DEMAND FOR NITROGEN THROUGH THE YEAR IN APPLES Available month needed 6
DRY ORGANIC ALTERNATIVES Manure Compost Waste (vegetal- / animal) 7
LIQUID TYPES IN NORWAY Pioner, Grøn Oplex, Aminocal Pioneer Hi Fruit 4 1 5 (organic plant material, natural minerals, extracts of sugarcane and potato) Vinasse Extracts from compost 8
FERTILIZERS USED IN TRIAL WERE: Organic pelleted fertilizer Marihøne Pluss 8 4 5 (chicken manure, meat bone meal and vinasse) Organic liquid fertilizer Pioner Hi Fruit 4 1 5 (organic plant material, natural minerals, extracts of sugarcane and potato) 9
MAIN EXPERIMENT apple cultivar Aroma planted in autumn 2010 with 4,5x1 m spacing in flat field in NIBIO Ullensvang Research Centre (NIBIO) in the Lofthus village, Hordaland (60 19'12.8"N 6 39'12.7"E). Treatments: Pioner 30: Liquid fertilizer Pioner 4-1-5 on the soil twice a week two weeks before flowering. 30 kg N pr ha Pioner 60: Liquid fertilizer Pioner 4-1-5 on the soil twice a week two weeks before flowering. 60 kg N pr ha Marihøne 30: Dry fertilizer 8-4-5 two weeks before flowering. 30 kg N pr ha Marihøne 60: Dry fertilizer 8-4-5 two weeks before flowering. 60 kg N pr ha 10
MINERALISED NITROGEN IN SOIL AFTER FLOWERING IN APPLES 08. june 2016 N-min kg/ha NH4-N kg/ha NO3-N kg/ha Pioner 30 224,0 ab 11,2 a 212,6 ab Pioner60 370 a 14 a 356 a Marihøne 30 150 bc 11 a 139 bc Marihøne 60 205 bc 25 a 180 bc Control 52 c 8 a 44 c 11
MINERALISED NITROGEN IN SOIL BEFORE HARVEST IN APPLES August 2016 N-min kg/ha NH4-N kg/ha NO3-N kg/ha Pioner 30 47 ab 9 a 39 ab Pioner 60 94 a 14 a 81 a Marihøne 30 18 b 4 a 13 b Marihøne 60 37 b 9 a 28 b Control 52 ab 5 a 44 ab 12
N CONTENT IN LEAF SAMPLED EARLY AND LATE IN THE SEASON OF DIFFERENT FERTILIGATION STRATEGY TREES Time of sampling: 05.05 01.09 Treatment N (%) N (%) Control 2,2 2,2 Marihøne previous autumn 2,1 2,1 Marihøne spring 2,2 2,1 Pioner soil previous autumn 2,2 2,2 Pioner soil spring 2,3 2,3 Pioner leaf previous autumn 2,1 2,0 Pioner leaf spring 2,2 2,2 nsd nsd 13
FRUIT QUALITY FACTORS AS AFFECTED BY TIME OF FERTILIZATION Treatment Firmn. [kg/cm2] Starch (1-10) Brix [%] Control 7,0 b 3,7ab 12,8 Marihøne previous autumn 6,8 ab 3,5ab 12,9 Marihøne spring 6,7 ab 3,8ab 12,5 Pioner soil previous autumn 6,9 ab 3,3a 12,8 Pioner soil spring 6,7 ab 4,1ab 13,0 Pioner leaf previous autumn 6,9 ab 3,7ab 12,8 Pioner leaf spring 6,5 a 4,4b 12,8 * * nsd 14
WEED CONTROL / TILLING Tilling 1-2 times before flowering Mowing 4-6 times during season (Tilling once after harvest) 15
µg/100g MINERALISED NITROGEN IN TILLED/NON-TILLED ORCHARD GIVEN DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF COMPOST 3000 2500 NO3-N NH4-N Nmin 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Ommas Utan Ommas Utan Ommas Utan Kontroll 50 100 16
CONCLUSIONS / CONCLUDING REMARKS We can make it! To get the nutrition status in organic fruit growing as recommended in conventional fruit growing Need more knowledge to be able to reduce the dried fertilizers products releasing nutrition when it is not desired However, is this really what we want? 17
Thank you for your attention! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!