EFFECTS OF ZINC FOLIAR NUTRITION ON GALA APPLE (MALUS DOMESTICA BORKH) FRUIT QUALITY

Giulio Piva, Giorgia Liguori, Vittorio Farina, Giuseppe Sortino, Giuseppe Gianguzzi

Abstract: To improve fruit color features research has focused on the use of foliar nutrition with zinc. There is a lack of know about apples. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effects of foliar zinc treatment on the qualitative characteristics of ‘Gala’ apple. Apple trees Cv ‘Gala’ were submitted to a foliar spray application of Zn in the form of aqueous solution of 0.2% and 0.4% zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) for three times. Fruit was harvested at commercial ripening and physicochemical parameters, yield, crop load, yield efficiency and zinc leaf content were measured. Results revealed that yield, crop load, fruit weight, cover color index and cover color percentage of the observed trees was influenced by zinc foliar spray treatment in each harvest date. The foliar fertilization using zinc influenced yield and several fruit quality traits. Since the ZN1 and ZN2 treatments do not differ significantly in the effect, the choice may lie in the adoption of the first treatment as it yields more economic and sustainable outcomes.

Keywords: foliar fertilization; microelements; skin color

Date published: 2017-04-28