Post-harvest plant tissue analysis is important as it helps identify your trees nutrient levels and ensures you obtain the right products to ultimately maximise the quality and yield of your crop.
Good levels of magnesium, zinc and boron are essential early in the growing season to assist in strong flowering and fruit set.
These nutrients help to promote the correct development of fruitlet tissue over the critical cell division period following pollination with the movement of sugars and ensure the correct function of many enzymes.
Unfortunately, there is little or no uptake of these nutrients from the soil in the early part of the season to meet the demand required for your productive trees, since the supply from the root system only starts once extension growth has commenced.
Concentrations of magnesium, zinc and boron within the tree fall as leaves and flowers are produced, which means it is critical to ensure sufficient nutrient reserves are present in the buds before spring growth starts.
Post harvest applications of essential nutrients to build the tree reserves, in particular the buds, has been scientifically recognised and has become standard practice for orchard fertiliser programmes.
For contact details, see Tree Fruit March 2021
