Nutrient status of apple leaves not affected by three years of irrigation using partial rootzone drying
Jorge A. Zegbe
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Campo Experimental Zacatecas, Apartado Postal No. 18, Calera de Víctor Rosales, Zacatecas, Código Postal 98500, México
Search for more papers by this authorAlfonso Serna-Pérez
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Campo Experimental Zacatecas, Apartado Postal No. 18, Calera de Víctor Rosales, Zacatecas, Código Postal 98500, México
Search for more papers by this authorJosé Antonio González-Fuentes
Departamento de Horticultura, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Buenavista, Saltillo, México
Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Av., CA 95616, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJorge A. Zegbe
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Campo Experimental Zacatecas, Apartado Postal No. 18, Calera de Víctor Rosales, Zacatecas, Código Postal 98500, México
Search for more papers by this authorAlfonso Serna-Pérez
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Campo Experimental Zacatecas, Apartado Postal No. 18, Calera de Víctor Rosales, Zacatecas, Código Postal 98500, México
Search for more papers by this authorJosé Antonio González-Fuentes
Departamento de Horticultura, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Buenavista, Saltillo, México
Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Av., CA 95616, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Partial rootzone drying (PRD) is a water-saving irrigation technology that may affect apple (Malus domestica Borkh cv. Golden Delicious/Malling7)-tree nutrition if applied for an extended period. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that long-term application of PRD causes seasonal changes in macro- and micronutrients of apple leaves. The irrigation treatments were: (1) commercial irrigation as control (CI) and (2) PRD. After 3 years of evaluation, PRD irrigation had saved about 3240 m3 of water per hectare. Leaf xylem water potential was slightly lower in the PRD treatment than in CI. The seasonal concentration of macro- and micronutrients was comparable between treatments, although significant differences were found at times. The macronutrient concentrations were within the normal range in PRD apple leaves. All micronutrient concentrations were slightly above the normal range except for Zn, which was slightly below the normal range. No physiological disorders associated with plant nutrition were observed on leaves or fruits. Therefore, data suggest that PRD did not alter apple-tree nutrition during the 3-year trial. Thus, PRD may be feasible for apple production in Central Mexico. However, further studies need to be conducted in those regions where groundwater is the main water source for irrigation and rain is negligible, particularly during the growing season.
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