Effect of the application of two preparations on the foliar elements concentration, vegetative and generative behaviour of apple trees var. Jonagold

A two season study was carried out with the aim to study the effect of soil applications of two biopreparations, Vambac composed of VAM and rhizospheric bacteria and Amalgerol, composed of vegetative and seaweeds extracts, on the leaf mineral content, vegetative and generative growth in apple trees var. Jonagold grafted on the M.9 rootstock. Plants were grown in 10 l plastic pots with an unsterilized sandy clay soil under climatic conditions of South Moravia, Czech Republic. The mycorrhizal colonization status was determined with the help of microscope (400x). Foliar concentration of N was determined with the Kjeldahl method, K, Ca and Mg with the help of Wet dry method and flamephotometer, Ca and Mg with Wet dry and AAS. Wet dry and colourimetry was used to determine the leaf phosphorus content. Dry ashing and AAS was used for Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu. Foliar concentration of N and K showed no differences in relation to the control. Ca leaf concentrations resulted signifcantly greater than control in the highest dose of Vambac and lower in the case of the combination of both products in the highest concentration. Mg resulted not different than control in the case of lowest and intermediate concentrations of Vambac, the rest of treatments resulted signifcantly lower than Control. Foliar concentration of N, Ca, Mg remained in normal levels for all tratments and in the case of K in high levels. In the case of phosphorus, Vambac produced no responses of significance, remaining the P foliar concentrations in normal levels (0,15-0,2%) in relation to the control. Amalgerol applied in high concentrations (3%) was able of increase the leaf P levels from normal to high levels (0,21-0,3%). The combinations of Vambac + Amalgerol produced the highest levels of leaf phosphorus of the study (high levels). In the case of microelements, the foliar concentration of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu were generally lower than the control with exception of the increase of Mn in treatments with the highest dose of Vambac. All treatments showed mycorrhizal infection, which was significantly greater in those treatments with the highest concentration of each product individually and in combination. Shoot growth during the first season was significantly greater than control in the case of treatments with the highest dose of Vambac (20% of increase), the lowest dose of Amalgerol (46% of increase) and the combination of both products in the lowest concentration (18% of increase). Significant differences were found in generative parameters where the fruit production of the highest dose of Vambac was greater than the control. From the present study we can conclude that the utilized biopreparation have the ability to increase in most cases the number of mycorrizal population and the persistence of the simbiotic association during the growth in the case of young apple trees. They can cause an increase in the leaf concentrations of phosphorus when they are applied together or alone in the case of Amalgerol in higher concentrations and also a good response of vegetative growth was observed, but a negative effect was seen in case of foliar concentration of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu elementsAvailable from STL Prague, CZ / NTK - National Technical LibrarySIGLECZCzech Republi