S.K. Attar* and N.K. Joolka1
*Agricultural Experimental Station, Paria,
Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat 396145
1Department of Pomology,
Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan -173230
Received-15.06.2015, Revised-21.06.2015
Abstract: A nutritional survey was conducted in major apple growing belts of Western Himalayas viz. Jubbal-Kotkhai, Karsog, Kalpa, Kotgarh and Naggar areas of Himachal Pradesh (India) to study the nutritional wellbeing and effect of foliar nutrient concentrations on influencing yield. The foliar macro-nutrients, N, P, K, Ca, Mg in different locations were found in the range 1.71-2.31, 0.13-0.28, 1.18-1.82, 1.19-1.83 and 0.18-0.41 percent, respectively while the micro-nutrients Fe, Zn, Cu and Mg varied from 186.8-378.2, 17.67-61.01, 7.52-15.78 and 42.33-182.53 ppm. Multiple regressions have been calibrated for predicting apple yields at different locations and for low and high yielding (>150 kg/tree) trees where the models were found to have a high and significant predictability value. Using the data, fertilizer adjustment equations can be developed for prescribing optimum fertilizer doses for attaining high yields in the apple production areas in the Western Himalayas and indeed elsewhere with similar c1imatic and soil conditions.
Keywords: Nutrition, Apple, Essential nutrients, Regression plane, Sufficiency range
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