Seasonal accumulation and distribution of nutrient elements in fruit of kiwifruit vines affected by boron toxicity

T. E. Sotiropoulos; I. N. Therios; K. N. Dimassi

doi:10.1071/EA05081

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Seasonal accumulation and distribution of nutrient elements in fruit of kiwifruit vines affected by boron toxicity

T. E. Sotiropoulos ^A ^C , I. N. Therios ^B and K. N. Dimassi ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Pomology Institute, PO Box 122, 59200 Naoussa, Greece.

^B Department of Horticulture, Laboratory of Pomology, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.

^C Corresponding author. Email: thosotir@alfanet.gr

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46(12) 1639-1644 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA05081
Submitted: 16 March 2005 Accepted: 22 August 2005 Published: 10 November 2006

Abstract

The objectives of the present research were to study the effect of boron (B) toxicity on the seasonal accumulation of nutrient elements in fruit of kiwifruit vines and also to study the distribution of nutrient elements within a mature fruit. The kiwifruit vines were 12 years old and grown on soil developed on alluvial deposits. One part of the experimental orchard was irrigated from a well with good quality water (0.3 mg B/L) and served as a control, whereas the other part was irrigated with high B water (3.2 mg B/L) pumped by another well. Symptoms of B toxicity in leaves were clearly visible in the form of chlorosis. At the end of June 1998, necrotic spots were apparent in the leaf blade. The seasonal patterns for the various macro- and micronutrient elements could be broadly grouped into 2 types: (i) the P, Ca and Fe contents in fruit of both orchards declined gradually until they reached values which remained relatively constant until harvest; (ii) the N, K, Mg, Mn and Zn contents in fruit tended to decline steadily throughout the sampling period. Irrigation of kiwifruit vines with high B water did not significantly affect fruit N, P, K, Mg, Mn and Fe contents, whereas it decreased Ca contents and increased Zn and B contents. The decrease in B content from the basal part of the fruit towards the apical could be ascribed to the low mobility of B within the plant. The distribution pattern of B in fruit is not uniform; this indicates that during interpretation, fruit analysis data should be treated with caution, as the analysis of an entire fruit represents an average of widely different B contents. The higher B content in the basal part of flesh suggests that this tissue is the most sensitive indicator of B toxicity in fruit.

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Seasonal accumulation and distribution of nutrient elements in fruit of kiwifruit vines affected by boron toxicity

Abstract

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