Relationships Between Leaf and Fruit Nutrients and Fruit Quality Attributes in Golden Smoothee Apples Using Multivariate Regression Techniques

Abstract The relationships between leaf and fruit nutrients in “Golden Smoothee” apples (Malus domestica Borkh. L) were analyzed using partial least squares regressions (PLS). The aim of the study is to identify the most relevant concentration nutrients for fruit quality in leaves (l) and fruits (f), and to work out the correlation among them and also in relation with some apple fruit quality attributes. The majority of leaf mineral concentrations [nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and boron (B)] display a negative correlation with fruit N at harvest. There are positive correlations between fruit minerals [phosphorus (P), potassium (K), Mg, and boron (B)] and fruit N concentration, except for fruit Ca, which correlates negatively with fruit N. The results obtained suggest that leaf K concentration appears to be highly correlated positively with fruit K and P concentrations at harvest. Fruit B content displays a highly negative regression coefficient with leaf B concentration. Leaf Ca seems to ex...