Mineral Nutrient Management for Organic Fruit Production

1
Mineral Nutrient Management for Organic Fruit
Production

• Dr. Jim Schupp
• Fruit Research and Extension Center
• Penn State University

2
Process-driven Market AlternativesMessage I
care

• Integrated Fruit Production (IFP)
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Biodynamic Agriculture
• Organic (Largest and best recognized)

3
Organic Regulations

• National standards established in 2002.
• National Organic Program (NOP).
• Third party certification.
• Grower, certifier and customer must all be on the
  same page.
• Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI)
  evaluates products for a fee.

4
Site Selection

• Traditional Criteria climate, slope, elevation,
  location, and availability.
• Add soil properties!
• Building and maintaining organic soil takes time
• Few fast fixes in organic production.
• Plan on spending 2 years on site improvement.

5
Soil Preparation

• Soil test for baseline values.
• Lime (calcitic or dolomitic) to pH 6.5.
• Cow or Chicken manure, 20-25 tons/A.
• Cover crop with Sudax or buckwheat.
• End of year 2 seed permanent ground cover.

6
Plow Manures In
7
Buckwheat Cover Crop
8
Compost

• Increases soil organic matter.
• Water nutrient holding capacity.
• Contributes mineral nutrients.
• Application rate based on N.
• Organic nutrients more slowly available than
  salts.
• Apply in autumn, or
• No later than bud break.
• In planting hole, increases 1st yr. growth.

9
Pre-plant Soil Incorporation of Compost

• Apple pomace leaf waste chicken manure _at_ 261
  ratio by volume.
• Wood ash to raise pH to 5.8.
• Reduced waste volume by 50.
• Soil incorporated to planting strip.
• Compared to MAP (11-48-0).
• Urea (46-0-0) added to compost plots to provide
  same amount of N as MAP.

10
Soil properties before and after pre-plant
treatment.
11
Leaf Nitrogen (N)
12
Leaf Potassium (K)
13
Trunk growth in the first 3 seasons

14
Shoot growth in the first 3 seasons
15
Number of growing points tree height after 3
seasons
Growing points (no. per tree)
Tree height (cm)
16
Number of flower clusters
17
Cumulative Yield/Tree, Yr 4-6
18
Other Fertilizers

• Only allowed or not prohibited materials may
  be used.
• Lower-slower.
• Compare soil and leaf analyses over several years
  to track trends.
• Correct macro-nutrients before deficient.
• Correct micro-nutrients only when shortage is
  documented.

19
Nitrogen (N)

• Organic sources include manure, fish
  emulsion/meal, bone meal, blood meal.
• No animal manure within 90 days of harvest (E.
  coli concerns).
• Soil incorporate manure to prevent loss.
• Organic standards in UK prohibit use of blood or
  bone meal.
• Sodium (Chilean) nitrate not prohibited as long
  as lt 20 of total N required?

20
Potassium (K)

• Sulpomag (22 K2O, 18 MgO)
• Muriate of potash (KCl)
• 60-63 K20
• Mined source only
• Cl buildup must be prevented

21
Magnesium (Mg)

• Sulpomag
• Magnesium sulfate allowed, if
• Extracted from brine
• Documented soil deficiency

22
Calcium (Ca)

• CaCl2 from brine source permitted to control
  bitter pit.
• Gypsum
• Mined source permitted.
• By-product source (flue gas, drywall) not allowed.

23
Micro-nutrients (B, Cu, Mn, Zn)

• Foliar sprays permitted if deficiency is
  documented.
• Leaf analysis
• Soil analysis.
• Chelates and sulfates generally allowed.
• Nitrates and chlorides not allowed.

24
Apple Trees are Poor Competitors!
25
Cultivation
26
Conclusions

• Organic mineral nutrition hinges on 2 principals
• Build and maintain biologically active soil high
  in organic matter
• Supplement with fertilizers from approved
  sources.
• Requires an approach that is both patient and
  dynamic.