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Effect of potash on yield and quality of apple trees in Shaanxi province

IPNI-1997-CHN-SN3

Overview Related Interpretive Summary
25 May 2001

1997 Annual Interpretive Summary


Effect of potash on yield and quality of apple trees in Shaanxi province, 1997

Potash consumption in Shaanxi province is currently below adequacy as the nutrient use ratio of N:P2O5:K2O is 12.5:3.1:1 and should approach 4:2:1. The shortage of K in fertilizers has limited crop yields as well as restricted growth and quality characteristics of Shaanxi's 715,000 ha of fruit tree orchards. In 1997, three fixed-site K trials on apple and one on pear were conducted. Results showed respective increases in apple and pear of 22.2 percent and 20.9 percent over the zero K control when K was applied at 1.2 to 2.4 kg K2O/tree. In addition, K application improved fruit color, increased sugar content and decreased total acid content. Fruit tree growth is influenced by many factors, the dominant factor being tree physiology. Therefore, one year of data does not reveal all the answers regarding K application in fruit trees.

Separate demonstration fields emphasizing P and K use in apples and kiwi were also set up in the region to compare balanced fertilization to traditional farmer practice. Differences in yield between the two practices were not remarkable due to the use of large amounts of manure, plant stalks that could be recycled at their origin, and some use of crop-specific fertilizers containing high K and micronutrient quantities. SHAANXI-03