Combined Soil and Foliar Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Rainfed Almond Tree Performance
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Combined Soil and Foliar Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Rainfed Almond Tree Performance Maria C. Morais 1 & Alfredo Aires 1 & David Barreales 2 & M. Ângelo Rodrigues 2 & António C. Ribeiro 2 & Berta Gonçalves 1,3 & Ana P. Silva 1,4 Received: 14 February 2020 / Accepted: 7 August 2020 # Sociedad Chilena de la Ciencia del Suelo 2020
Abstract Cultivation of almond in the Mediterranean region is traditionally done under rainfed conditions and poorly established cropping practices resulting in low yields. Despite the importance of nitrogen (N) fertilization to increase yield in cultivated species, this practice is usually neglected in rainfed managed almond orchards. Selection of the most appropriate rate and method of nitrogen (N) application are utmost factors to maximize almond yield in the considered conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand how soil and foliar N fertilization affect physiological and biochemical performance, almond yield, and fruit quality of almond trees grown under rainfed conditions. A 3-year experiment comprised four soil-applied N rates (0, 25, 50, and 100 kg ha−1) with and without 0.5% foliar N application of urea during the growing season, which was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Nitrogen soil fertilization did not influence the leaf gas exchange parameters and the content of photosynthetic pigments but significantly improved almond yield. There were no particular advantages in foliar fertilization. Soil application of small doses of fertilizer (e.g., 25 kg N ha−1) per year was optimal for maintaining appropriate physiological behavior of almond trees under the conditions in which the experiment was carried out, without compromise almond yield and fruit quality. Thus, the annual application at 25 kg N ha−1 enables substantial reduction of almond production costs being a positive contribution to environment-friendly farming practices. Keywords Prunus dulcis . Photosynthesis . Biochemical parameters . Yield . Fruit quality . N fertilization
1 Introduction Almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A.Webb.) is one of the most important nut trees grown in the Mediterranean region, due to * Maria C. Morais [email protected] 1
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
2
Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
3
Departament of Biology and Environment, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
4
Department of Agronomy, Scholl of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
its adaptation to drought (Prgomet et al. 2017). In this region, almond is generally confined to marginal and non-irrigated lands. The productivity of
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