Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit Yield
The chestnut tree (<i>Castanea sativa</i> Mill.) is gaining importance in the mountainous regions of southern Europe due to the high value of its fruits. It is essential to establish effective cultivation protocols, considering that this species is still relatively understudied. In this...
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2024-09-01
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| author | Margarida Arrobas Soraia Raimundo Carlos Manuel Correia Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues |
| author_facet | Margarida Arrobas Soraia Raimundo Carlos Manuel Correia Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues |
| author_sort | Margarida Arrobas |
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| description | The chestnut tree (<i>Castanea sativa</i> Mill.) is gaining importance in the mountainous regions of southern Europe due to the high value of its fruits. It is essential to establish effective cultivation protocols, considering that this species is still relatively understudied. In this study, we present the outcomes of the initial establishment of a chestnut orchard conducted through a nutrient omission trial for four years. The treatments included a fertilization plan with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and boron (NPKB), the control, and four other treatments corresponding to the omission of each nutrient (-NPKB, N-PKB, NP-KB, NPK-B). The -NPKB and NP-KB treatments showed significantly lower trunk circumferences and canopy volumes compared to the other treatments. The NPK-B treatment resulted in the lowest fruit production, with a total accumulated yield (2020–2022) of 0.56 kg tree<sup>–1</sup>, a value significantly lower than that of NPKB (1.12 kg tree<sup>–1</sup>) and N-PKB (1.19 kg tree<sup>–1</sup>). The assessment of nutrient concentrations in the leaves revealed plants with deficient levels of B and K in treatments that did not receive these nutrients. Conversely, N levels in the leaves in the -NPKB treatment fell within the sufficiency range (20 to 28 g kg<sup>–1</sup>). This suggests that the sufficiency range should be adjusted to higher values, given the treatment’s effect on tree growth. It was also observed that the -NPKB treatment led to lower soil organic matter compared to the other treatments, likely due to reduced herbaceous vegetation development under the canopy, leading to decreased organic substrate deposition in the soil. The main findings of this study are that N and K were crucial elements for the optimal growth of chestnut trees, while B played a significant role in fruit production. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b617e4c546af4c1da8dbc7ff19b39d8a2025-08-20T02:57:21ZengMDPI AGSoil Systems2571-87892024-09-018410410.3390/soilsystems8040104Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit YieldMargarida Arrobas0Soraia Raimundo1Carlos Manuel Correia2Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues3Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalCentro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalCentre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, PortugalCentro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalThe chestnut tree (<i>Castanea sativa</i> Mill.) is gaining importance in the mountainous regions of southern Europe due to the high value of its fruits. It is essential to establish effective cultivation protocols, considering that this species is still relatively understudied. In this study, we present the outcomes of the initial establishment of a chestnut orchard conducted through a nutrient omission trial for four years. The treatments included a fertilization plan with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and boron (NPKB), the control, and four other treatments corresponding to the omission of each nutrient (-NPKB, N-PKB, NP-KB, NPK-B). The -NPKB and NP-KB treatments showed significantly lower trunk circumferences and canopy volumes compared to the other treatments. The NPK-B treatment resulted in the lowest fruit production, with a total accumulated yield (2020–2022) of 0.56 kg tree<sup>–1</sup>, a value significantly lower than that of NPKB (1.12 kg tree<sup>–1</sup>) and N-PKB (1.19 kg tree<sup>–1</sup>). The assessment of nutrient concentrations in the leaves revealed plants with deficient levels of B and K in treatments that did not receive these nutrients. Conversely, N levels in the leaves in the -NPKB treatment fell within the sufficiency range (20 to 28 g kg<sup>–1</sup>). This suggests that the sufficiency range should be adjusted to higher values, given the treatment’s effect on tree growth. It was also observed that the -NPKB treatment led to lower soil organic matter compared to the other treatments, likely due to reduced herbaceous vegetation development under the canopy, leading to decreased organic substrate deposition in the soil. The main findings of this study are that N and K were crucial elements for the optimal growth of chestnut trees, while B played a significant role in fruit production.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/8/4/104crop fertilizationnutrient omission trialplant nutritional statussufficiency rangesoil organic matter |
| spellingShingle | Margarida Arrobas Soraia Raimundo Carlos Manuel Correia Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit Yield Soil Systems crop fertilization nutrient omission trial plant nutritional status sufficiency range soil organic matter |
| title | Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit Yield |
| title_full | Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit Yield |
| title_fullStr | Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit Yield |
| title_full_unstemmed | Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit Yield |
| title_short | Omitting the Application of Nitrogen or Potassium Reduced the Growth of Young Chestnut (<i>Castanea sativa</i>) Trees, While a Lack of Boron Decreased Fruit Yield |
| title_sort | omitting the application of nitrogen or potassium reduced the growth of young chestnut i castanea sativa i trees while a lack of boron decreased fruit yield |
| topic | crop fertilization nutrient omission trial plant nutritional status sufficiency range soil organic matter |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/8/4/104 |
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