How crop nutrition affects orchard fruit

Browse the complete list of all the orchard fruit articles pages to see how crop nutrition affects fruit yield, quality, health and see the roles of different nutrients

How to increase stone fruit yield

The right combination of an optimum fruit load on the tree and a high fruit weight or size is essential to achieve high stone fruit yields.

How to increase apple numbers

Fruit number in apple trees results from a variety of factors, including planting density, orchard system, pruning and thinning practices and also crop nutrition.

How to increase stone fruit size and weight

Potassium is a key driver of stone fruit size or weight and alongside nitrogen is required in large quantities throughout fruit development and ripening.

How to increase apple size

Apples size is influenced crop nutrition together with pruning and thinning practices. Size is a critical characteristic for grading apples. A minimal size is required on all grades and evenly shaped and sized fruit are desired for all markets.

How to increase stone fruit number

Phosphorus and magnesium increase apricot, plum or cherry fruit number, although the effect of nitrogen on the number of fruits per tree is not clear.

How to increase apple weight

Crop nutrition plays an important role on increasing apple weight. Apple weight is an important element for increasing yields. Provided that a desired quality is maintained, the aim of growers is to produce heavier fruits.

How to improve stone fruit quality

There are a number of variables that define stone fruit quality requirements. Quality standards differ depending on the stone fruit type, growth region and the market.

Balancing total soluble solids and acidity ratio in apples

The sugar/acidity ratio of fruit is what gives fruits characteristic taste and flavour. Balanced crop nutrition programmes help growers manage an acceptable TSS/Acidity balance in the fruit.

How to increase apple firmness

Nutrition can influence apple firmness. Nitrogen, potassium and calcium are the most important nutrients.

How to improve stone fruit firmness

Firmness of stone fruit flesh is affected by a wide range of parameters including nutrition. Fruits with high levels of calcium are firmer and good calcium supply delays ripening and increases storability of fruits.

How to decrease alfalfa greening in pears

Alfalfa greening is a disorder which causes dark-green, slightly sunken spots on the skin of pears. A balanced crop nutrition is essential to minimize alfalfa greening occurrence.

How to reduce lenticel blotch in apples

Lenticel blotch is associated with excessive use of nitrogen, hot summers and late harvests. Lenticels are slightly sunken blotches that result in underlying tissue drying out and becoming brown and spongy.

How to reduce water core in apples

Inadequate supply of calcium is a major contributing factor to water core. Watercore develops in mature apples when the sugar sorbitol is translocated into the fruit faster than it can be assimilated.

How calcium affects pear quality

Calcium is critical in pears, and fruit concentrations need to be double that acceptable for apple.

How to reduce bitter pit in apples

A balanced crop nutrition is essential for the management of bitter pit. Bitter pit is a physiological disorder associated with low levels of calcium in the apple tissue, which reduces apple quality and marketability.

How to minimise apple internal breakdown

A good crop nutrition can help to minimize internal breakdown incidence in apples. It can be associated with intense water core disorder, cold storage, and boron and phosphorus deficiencies.

How to prevent stone fruit cracking and splitting

Splitting or cracking, is a serious problem in all stone fruit, especially in cherries and plums, as it renders fruit unmarketable. Crop nutrition also plays a major role in reducing fruit splitting or cracking.

How to avoid apple sunscald/sunburn

Sunscald or sunburn in apples accounts for yellow or flushed areas on the fruit skin due to direct sun damage often following a period of cooler, cloudy weather. It is often associated with poor calcium content in the fruit. A balanced crop nutrition can help avoid sunburns.

How to minimise apple rots and storage diseases

Many disease-causing pathogens attack apple trees often leading to rotten fruit and storage rots. A balanced crop nutrition programme leads to a more robust, healthier tree more able to resist infection.

How to improve apricot, plum or cherry colour

How to improve stone fruit colour

Produce buyers constantly prefer redder fruit. Although the red colour differs for each variety, it can be influenced by management and crop nutrition.

How to prevent internal breakdown of stone fruit

The main cause for internal breakdown is an inadequate physiological growth leading to a breakdown of internal tissues. A balanced nutrition program can also help improve the physiological balance of the pulp.

How to manage pitting in cherries

Pitting as a result of poor handling or storage can make the fruit unmarketable. Good calcium nutrition can minimise this disorder and improve skin quality.

How to reduce storage rot in stone fruit

Correct nutrition has a major role to play in improving the firmness of fruit flesh and skin, helping to minimise storage disorders like storage rot.

How to improve stone fruit health

Healthy stone fruit trees are the key to productive, high-yielding and top quality crops. A balanced crop nutrition is essential to promote health and minimize nutrient related disorders in stone fruit.

Balancing total soluble solids and acidity ratio in stone fruit

The ratio of sugar content versus acidity and gives stone fruits their characteristic flavour. An appropriate crop nutrition programme helps manage an acceptable TSS/Acidity balance in fruit.

Apple soil and water requirements

Apples and pear trees can grow in a wide range of soils from medium textured clays to gravelly sands.

Identify and diagnose apple nutrient deficiencies

Identify and diagnose if your apple trees are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and learn more about the symptoms and causes and how to control or correct the deficiency

Apple nutrient requirements

Apple nutrient requirements vary depending on the crop growth stage. Find out which nutrients are most important at different growth stages.

Apple agronomic principles

The aim of every apple grower is a high yield of top quality fruit and there are a large number of agronomic factors which can influence this, many of which are within their control given their specific growing systems and climatic/soil conditions.

Agronomic principles for stone fruit

Stone fruits include cherries, plums, apricots as well as peaches and nectarines, all coming from the genus Prunus. The agronomic principles of fertiliser and crop nutrition applied to each species are all fairly similar.

Stone fruit nutritional summary

Most nutrients, namely N, P, K, Mg, B and Mn are stored and retained as reserves in the tree buds, trunk and roots.

Stone fruit application strategies

Various nutrient applications strategies should be adopted in stone fruits to ensure the right amount of each nutrient is available to the plant when required and in a form that is readily available.

Stone fruit types and market requirements

Peach, nectarine, apricot and sweet and sour cherry production are within the genus Prunus.

Role of nutrients by growth stage in stone fruit

Stone fruit nutrient requirements vary depending on the crop growth stage. Find out which nutrients are most important and the roles of nutrients at different growth stages.

Nutrient deficiencies-Apricot

Identify and diagnose plum nutrient deficiencies

Identify and diagnose if your plum trees are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and learn more about the symptoms and causes and how to control or correct the deficiency

Cherry nutrient deficiencies

Identify and diagnose if your cherry trees are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and learn more about the symptoms and causes and how to control or correct the deficiency

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