Advances in soil and nutrient management in apple cultivation

Advances in soil and nutrient management in apple cultivation G. H. Neilsen, D. Neilsen and T. Forge, Summerland Research and Development Centre Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; and K. Hannam, Natural Resources Canada1 Introduction2 Emerging issues affecting soil and nutrient management3 Precision nutrient management: fertigation and targeted foliar application4 Precision nutrient management: improved fertilizer forms and sensing of nutrient limitations5 Precision water management6 Altered production systems and altered production areas7 Conclusions8 Where to look for further information9 ReferencesSoil and nutrient management of apple orchards has a long history, as indicated by several detailed earlier reviews (Boynton and Oberly, 1966; Neilsen and Neilsen, 2003). Many standard textbooks concerned with the physiology and commercial production of temperate tree fruits, including apple, have chapters highlighting key principles to achieve optimum management of soil, nutrient and water resources (Childers et al., 1995; Tromp et al., 2005). Cumulative historical research has led to the widespread development and use of midsummer nutrient standards for apple leaves (Shear and Faust, 1980) and detailed examination of factors affecting mineral concentration of fruit (Perring and Pearson, 1984) with a particular emphasis on mineral nutrients such as Ca that influence fruit quality (Faust, 1989). Information has been compiled to examine different management strategies for apple, including foliar nutrient applications (Swietlik and Faust, 1984) or fertigated applications of nutrients with irrigation water (Neilsen and Neilsen, 2008). The evolution of apple orchards to high-density planting systems that increase yield and fruit nutrient demand per unit of land has stimulated research to investigate methods to improve tree and fruit performance on infertile, coarse-textured soils (Neilsen and Neilsen, 2006a). Similarly, the widespread adoption of herbicides to control weed competition renewedinterest in orchard floor management options that might mitigate detrimental effects associated with reduced organic inputs to orchard soil (Merwin, 2003). Soil and nutrient management can thus be seen to be constantly evolving in response to new challenges.