Imre Vágó

Seasonal Dynamics of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Contents of Leaf and Soil in Environmental Friendly Apple Orchards

Nowadays, there is increasing interest in environmentally friendly growing systems, and attention has also been paid to the environmental impacts of natural and artificial fertilizations. However, seasonal dynamics of macronutrient status needs further investigations in environmentally friendly apple orchards. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents of leaves in every month during the season and of soil in April and October at Debrecen‐Pallag, Hungary, from 2002 to 2004. The study was performed in integrated and organic apple orchards on three apple cultivars (Mutsu, Elstar, and Reka). All easily soluble (0.01 M CaCl2) and plant‐available nitrogen fractions (nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and total soluble nitrogen) in the soil were significantly higher (P = 0.05) in the integrated apple orchard compared to the organic one. The 0.01 M calcium chloride (CaCl2) soluble ortho‐phosphate and total phosphate fractions of the soil were significantly higher (P = 0.05), whereas organic phosphate and soil pH showed no significant difference in the integrated apple orchard compared to the organic one. Potassium contents of the integrated soils were significantly higher (P = 0.05) compared to those of the organic one. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents of leaves were higher in the integrated orchard compared to the organic one. The dynamics of P uptake corresponded to the phenological phases of apple. Potassium content of apple leaves decreased continuously until July, after that it slightly increased, and then it decreased again. In conclusion, results suggest that better mobility of artificial fertilizers in integrated orchards provided higher macronutrient uptake than in organic orchards, where only natural nutrient sources are allowed.

Relationships between the carbon content and some microbial characteristics in the different soil types

Introduction During the transformation and mineralization of the organic materials containing carbon, nutrients become available for plants. The microbes living in the soil transform these organic carbon compounds. Their activity is influenced by ecological factors, e.g. rainfall, temperature and soil characteristics, and applied agrotechniques, e.g. cultivation, fertilization, vegetation, crop-rotation and irrigation. In our paper, the relationships between the carbon content and some microbial characteristics were studied on 12 soil types in the region surrounding Debrecen.

Effect of Application of Nitrogen and Different Nitrogen–Sulfur Ratios on the Quality and Quantity of Mustard Seed

A greenhouse experiment was conducted on a calcareous chernozem soil to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) fertilization and their ratios on the yield and quality of white mustard (Sinapis alba L.). Four levels of N [0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 g pot−1 N as ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) and ammonium phosphate (NH4H2PO4)] in combination with three levels of applied N–S ratios [8, 4, 2; S as potassium sulfate (K2SO4) and sodium sulphate (Na2SO4)] were tested as treatments. Results indicated that a significant response to seed yield was observed for N and S application. Maximum yield, 24.8 g pot−1, was found when full doses of N and S were applied. Increasing N supply from 0.5 g pot−1 to 1 g pot−1 had little increasing effect in the oil content of the seed. Higher application of N doses (>1 g pot−1) decreased these values significantly. The maximum oil content (28%) was achieved with the 1 g N pot−1 treatment; the lowest values were observed in the pots applied with the highest N doses. Changes in the N content of the seed and straw showed a statistically significant increase with increasing N and S fertilization. Highest values in the seed and straw (5.96% and 0.87%, respectively) were observed by applying highest N and S doses. Seed and straw S levels were also observed to increase with increasing N rates and decreasing N–S ratio. Nitrogen doses significantly improved the quantities of essential amino acids with the exception of threonine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and methionine. The amounts of these amino acids decreased with increasing N supply. When the N–S ratio decreased by increasing S, the quantities of valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, and cysteine increased significantly and the amount of tyrosine decreased. The quantities of nonessential amino acids with the exception of proline, histidine, and glycine increased with increasing N doses. In contrast, N rates decreased the amount of glycine. Decreasing the N–S ratio lowered the proline and arginine contents. The total amounts of essential amino acids slightly increased with increasing N rates and decreasing N–S ratio.

Effects of boron, calcium and magnesium foliar fertilization on apple (Malus domestica) yields

Boron is one of the most important micronutrients for plants (Borchmann, 1975). Its peculiarity is that (differently from most of the microelements, but similarly to molybdenum) it can be found in the soil and in the plant as an anion (Bergmann and Neubert, 1976). Among the microelements, boron has the greatest effect on the yield quality and quantity of plants (Mengel, 1984). If it is not available in the necessary amount and form, then problems can be detected in flower formation and fertilization, furthermore, carbohydrate and lipid formation is also inhibited. As a secondary consequence, the strength of cell walls also decreases (Mirko, 1978) which increases the susceptibility of the plant to diseases (mainly to those caused by microorganisms).

The effect of N and N/S supply levels on oil and protein content in mustard seed ( Sinapis alba L. )

Introduction Yellow mustard (Sinapis alba L.) is a annual spring crop and has been grown mainly in Europe since last century. Yellow mustard seed is suitable for a wide range of applications. It is grown for its seed, as a salad plant, as a green fodder crop or as green manure. Mustard seed is a nutritious food ingredient. Climate of Hungary is favourable for the cultivation of mustard. In spite of that little information exists on its fertilization, on the mechanism of its nutrient-uptake and its fertilizer activity in the international (Ahmad et al. 1998, Asare et al. 1995) and hungarian (EOry et al. 1996, K&d&r 2002) scientific literature. In the present study, an attempt was made to increase the amount of information for the effects of N supply and N/S ratio on the sulphur, nitrogen (crude protein), oil content and yield of seed.

EFFECTS OF NITROGEN AND DIFFERENT N:S RATIO ON YIELD AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE OF MUSTARD ( SINAPIS ALBA L.)

Introduction White mustard is cultivated for seeds, for green manure as animal feed, for green fodder crop (Minkevics and Borkovszkij 1951) and for compost. Mustard seeds are mostly used for the preparation of spices, oil, french mustard, mustard pastes which is a common condiment in food industries (Szabo and Fodor 2005). Climate of Hungary is favourable for the cultivation of mustard. In spite of this little information exists on its fertilization, on its nutrient-uptake in the foreign (Asare Scarisbrick 1995, Singh 2004) and Hungarian (Kadar 2002, Fodor Kadlicsko 2006) scientific literature. Mineral nutrition, especially sulphur and nitrogen are major factors affecting growth, yield and quality of mustard (Singh 2004). Nitrogen and sulphur are necessary for the synthesis of amino acids, proteins and various other cellular components, including thiol compounds and the so-called secondary sulphur compounds, which have a significant bearing on protection of plants against stress and pests. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the effects of N and N:S ratios on the yield and nutrient uptake of mustard (Sinapis alba L.).

Correlation between the nitrogen content of soil and element uptake of maize in a pot experiment

Introduction The nitrogen content of the soil serves as a permanent nitrogen source for plants. Since a significant part of the nitrogen in the soil can be found partly in the humus materials and partly in other organic materials, plant and animal residues and in organic bounds in microorganisms, mineral nitrogen forms that are available for plant uptake account for only a few percentages of the total content. Most of the biogeochemical nitrogen transformation processes occur in the humus-rich layer of the soil between the natural vegetation and the crops via the contribution of the organisms living in the soil. The humus balance and nitrogen management of soils closely correlate. ROSSWALL (1976) estimated the nitrogen turnover of the microorganisms and the plant system to be 95% (cit. NEMETH, 1995). The transformation of organic matter in the soil is performed by the organisms living in the soil, the activity of which is largely determined by the ecological and agrotechnical factors. In our pot experiment, the changes in the soil nitrogen forms and in the biomass and nitrogen uptake of maize were determined in soils from a long-term fertilization experiment.

Influence of alternative plant nutrition methods on soil microbial characteristics in long-term experiments

The size of the arable land is constantly decreasing all over the world due to severe anthropogenic disorders. Plant production therefore has to be adapted to changing environmental conditions alon...

Effect of foliar application of K and Ca on leaf and fruit contents in a sweet cherry orchard

1 Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, University of Debrecen, Centre of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agronomy; H-4015 Debrecen, Hungary, POB 36; Email: nagypt@agr.unideb.hu 2 Institute for Extension and Development, University of Debrecen, Centre of Agricultural Sciences 3 Department of Horticulture and Plant Biotechnology, University of Debrecen, Centre of Agricultural Sciences