Potassium nitrate: the right source for apple production
Potassium Nitrate helps to achieve this desired ratio for a balanced and efficient nutrition, increasing yield
- Improves shoot lenght and number of leaves
- Uptake of all-important cations K+, Ca++ and Mg++ are enhanced with nitrogen in nitrate form
- Promotes photosynthesis
- Intensifies the transport and storage of assimilates
- Improves fresh weight and dry weight
Research in high yielding apple orchards in Poland additionally shows the possibility to manage fruit size with KNO3-based fertilizers. Extended split application of KNO3-based fertilizers in apple.
Experience showed that split application management with KNO3-based fertilizers allows to adapt the fertilizers schedule after unpredictable circumstances like drought, diseases or spring frost, leading to better control of the economical size of apples.
Potassium nitrate-based programs show better color, sugar content and firmness
- Improved homogeneity
- Increases firmness
- Improves skin color and visual appareance
- Improves sugar content
Use of KNO3 as a preferred potassium source results in a more efficient uptake of potassium leading to better sugar transport to the fruit, and anthocyanin synthesis improving fruit coloration. Increased firmness can probably be related to the synergetic uptake of nitrate with both potassium as calcium.
