VEGETATIVE GROWTH, FRUIT WEIGHT, YIELD AND LEAF MINERAL CONTENT OF PLUM GROWN ON ACIDIC SOIL

Abstract

The experiment was established at a spacing of 4 m × 2 m. Ten plum cultivars were grafted on the vegetative rootstocks ‘Belosljiva’ (Prunus domestica L.). Until the fifth and the sixth year after planting, the vegetative growth, fruit weight (FW), and yield properties were affected by the cultivar. The FW was the highest in ‘Cacanska Rana’ (‘CRa’). ‘Cacanska Najbolja’ (‘CNa’) had the highest one-year-old shoot length (SL). ‘Stanley’ (‘STa’) was the most productive cultivar in 2006 and ‘Cacanska Rodna’ (‘CRo’) in 2007. Yield efficiency (YE) was the highest for ‘CRo’. Significant differences were observed among cultivars for leaf macronutrient [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg)] and micronutrients [iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), boron (B)] levels at 120 days after fool bloom (DAFB). According to the ΣDOP index, ‘CRa’ and ‘STa’ showed the best balanced macronutrient and micronutrient values, respectively. The leaf Mn, Fe and N content was significantly correlated with SL, FW, and YE.

Keywords:

• cultivar
• foliar mineral analysis
• nutrient
• productivity
• orchard system

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was part of scientific research Project No. 31064 of the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Serbia. We hereby express our sincerest gratitude to them for their financial support.