THE EFFECT OF ECOLOGICAL FERTILIZATION ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF ARONIA MELANOCARPA (Michx.) Elliot, 'MELROM' ROMANIAN CULTIVAR

• Published in: Fruit Growing Research Vol. 36; pp. 55 - 65
• Main Authors: Calinescu, Mirela, Enescu Mazilu, Ivona Cristina, Chitu, Emil, Butac, Mădălina, Sumedrea, Mihaela, Bălăuță, Liviu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 28.12.2020
• ISSN: 2602-1978; 2286-0304
• DOI: 10.33045/fgr.v36.2020.07

Nine ecological fertilizer combinations effects on the field response of Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliot, 'Melrom' cultivar was studied. Plants vegetative growth, crop yield, and some fruit quality parameters during a two years experiment (2019 – 2020) performed at the Research Institute for Fruit Growing Pitesti, Arges County, Romania were assessed. The experimental factors studied were A, three different doses of the organic soil fertilizer, Biohumus, and B, the organic foliar treatments in three replication. On average, on the three graduations of factor B (no fertilizer, Algacifo, Macys foliar fertilizer), the application of 0.3 l of Biohumus fertilizer per plant, compared to the application of the same fertilizer, at a dose of 0.4 l per plant, determined a significant increase with 0.1085 m3 (11.88%) of the aerial part of the plant. Under the same conditions, the application of 0.2 l Biohumus per plant, compared to the application of 0.3 l Biohumus per plant, determined a distinctly significant increase, by 0.095 g (11.02%), of the average fruit weight, and at the application of 0.3 l per plant, compared to the application of 0.4 l per plant, from the same product, there was a significant decrease, by 0.090 g (10.97%), of the average fruit weight. Also, the application of higher doses of Biohumus fertilizer (0.3-0.4 l per plant), compared to the variant where only 0.2 l per plant was applied, resulted in a significant and distinctly significant reduction in fruit firmness and values of the fruit juice pH.