Dry weight and nitrogen contents in different parts of 'Fuyu' persimmon as affected by application timing and methods of supplemental nitrogen.

We studied the accumulation and partitioning of dry weight (DW) and nitrogen (N) in different parts of field-grown 'Fuyu' persimmon to elucidate that the foliar applications of supplemental N in June or September compared favorably with the traditional soil application in securing leaf area and fruit production. We also estimated the proportion of N permanently removed from the tree at the end of a growing season. Urea was applied either to leaves in June and/or September or to the soil in June and September for three consecutive years, and the trees were excavated in November for analyses. Total DW ranged from 4.2-4.8, 8.7-9.2, and 17.1-21.5 kg in a 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old tree, respectively, without statistical difference among the four treatments. Of the total DW, 3.3-10.2% was in shoots, 5.7-10.5% in leaves, 8.3-31.4% in aerial woods, 13.0-27.0% in root, and 28.0-59.3% in fruits. As the trees became more productive, DW proportion of fruits significantly affected that of the root: in 6-year-old trees, root DW accounted for only 10.6-15.8% of the tree total when fruit DW accounted for 50-60%. N contents ranged from 24.6-28.3, 48.3-53.5, and 98.3-122.6 g in a 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old trees, respectively, without statistical difference among the treatments. Of the total N, 6.2-11.5% was in shoots, 16.7-24.3% in leaves, 17.6-23.5% in aerial woods, 17.2-37.5% in roots, and 16.9-34.4% in fruits. As in DW, the increase in the proportion of N in fruits decreased in the root most significantly. Application methods for supplemental N did not affect the proportion of DW and N removed from the tree through abscising leaves and harvested fruits. Percentage of DW removal was 41 in 4- and 5-year-old trees, but it was 61 in more productive 6-year-old trees; that of N was 39, 43, and 49%, respectively. No significant changes in the contents of DW and N in field-grown trees, as well as their percentages removed from the tree at the end of the season, demonstrated that foliar application of supplemental N was as good as soil applications with much less N.