Effect of agro-industry by-product on soil fertility, tree performances and fruit quality in pear (<em>Pyrus communis </em>L.)

Maurizio Quartieri; Elena Baldi; Giovambattista Sorrenti; Graziella Marcolini; Moreno Toselli; Maurizio Quartieri; Elena Baldi; Giovambattista Sorrenti; Graziella Marcolini; Moreno Toselli

doi:10.3934/agrfood.2016.1.20

AIMS Agriculture and Food

2016, Volume 1, Issue 1: 20-32. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2016.1.20

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Research article

Effect of agro-industry by-product on soil fertility, tree performances and fruit quality in pear (Pyrus communis L.)

Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bologna, viale G. Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy

Received: 31 October 2015 Accepted: 07 January 2016 Published: 25 January 2016

Organic materials from agro-industry processes can be used in agriculture as a way to recycle materials that still maintain a high fertilizing value. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the value of soil applied apple juice by-product as fertilizer for pear trees. A 3-year experiment was carried out in a mature pear orchard (cv Abbé Fétel grafted onto quince MC) in the Po valley (Italy), where the following treatments were compared: 1) unfertilized control; 2) mineral N fertilization (60 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ split in two spring applications); 3) apple juice by-product (1.3 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, equal to 60 kg N ha⁻¹), fully supplied at petal drop; 4) apple juice by-product, at twice the rate of the previous treatment. Apple juice by-product soil decomposition accounted for 12% in the first 6 months. At the end of the 24-month-assay, the decomposition accounted for 24% on total dry weight that makes 28% of initial C and 36% of initial N. Soil nitrate-N concentration was increased by the mineral N fertilizer, while the application of apple juice by-product increased microbial carbon. Tree growth, yield and fruit quality were not affected by treatments, while mineral N fertilization raised leaf and fruit N concentration. In conclusion, in our conditions the use of apple juice by-product did not show negative effects on tree performances and fruit quality, with some advantages related to the recycling of organic wastes in agriculture.
- fruit processing residues,
- soil organic matter,
- soil nitrate-N,
- soil microbial carbon,
- fruit analysis,
- antioxidant activity,
- soluble sugars,
- organic acids
Citation: Maurizio Quartieri, Elena Baldi, Giovambattista Sorrenti, Graziella Marcolini, Moreno Toselli. Effect of agro-industry by-product on soil fertility, tree performances and fruit quality in pear (Pyrus communis L.)[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2016, 1(1): 20-32. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2016.1.20

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Abstract

Organic materials from agro-industry processes can be used in agriculture as a way to recycle materials that still maintain a high fertilizing value. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the value of soil applied apple juice by-product as fertilizer for pear trees. A 3-year experiment was carried out in a mature pear orchard (cv Abbé Fétel grafted onto quince MC) in the Po valley (Italy), where the following treatments were compared: 1) unfertilized control; 2) mineral N fertilization (60 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ split in two spring applications); 3) apple juice by-product (1.3 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, equal to 60 kg N ha⁻¹), fully supplied at petal drop; 4) apple juice by-product, at twice the rate of the previous treatment. Apple juice by-product soil decomposition accounted for 12% in the first 6 months. At the end of the 24-month-assay, the decomposition accounted for 24% on total dry weight that makes 28% of initial C and 36% of initial N. Soil nitrate-N concentration was increased by the mineral N fertilizer, while the application of apple juice by-product increased microbial carbon. Tree growth, yield and fruit quality were not affected by treatments, while mineral N fertilization raised leaf and fruit N concentration. In conclusion, in our conditions the use of apple juice by-product did not show negative effects on tree performances and fruit quality, with some advantages related to the recycling of organic wastes in agriculture.

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