Abstract
Establishing a fertilization plan for large trees is particularly difficult due to the high soil volume that the roots exploit and the buffer effect of the perennial woody structure on the concentration of nutrients in the leaves. This work evaluates the response of chestnut, a very large tree, to different fertilizer solutions. The study was conducted in two chestnut orchards planted in acid soils that were subjected to the application of lime plus phosphorus (Lime+P), lime plus a compound NPK fertilizer (Lime+NPK), and an unfertilized control (Control). The effects of the treatments on soil properties, nutritional status and photosynthetic performance of the trees, and nut production, were assessed from field and laboratory analyses. Liming significantly increased soil pH and exchangeable calcium (Ca). Treatments did not significantly influence leaf P and K levels, although leaf N concentrations were significantly higher in the Lime+NPK treatment on two of the three sampling dates. In one of the trials, the average accumulated nut yield was higher in the Lime+NPK (71.7 kg tree−1) treatment compared with the control (59.6 kg tree−1) and the Lime+P (51.7 kg tree−1) treatments, although without significant differences at P < 0.05. Overall, the results show the chestnut tree to be a species tolerant of soil acidity. The results also show that the buffer capacity of the plant in regulating the nutrient concentration in the leaves seems to be higher for P than for N, and therefore, concentrations of N in the leaves require the regular application of the nutrient as a fertilizer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abreu CG (2007) A origem e dispersão do castanheiro pelo mundo. In: Gomes-Laranjo J, Ferreira-Cardoso J, Portela E, Abreu CG (eds) Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal, pp 15–21
Arrobas M, Ferreira IQ, Freitas S, Verdial J, Rodrigues MA (2014) Guidelines for fertilizer use in vineyards based on nutrient content of grapevine parts. Sci Hortic 172:191–198
Arrobas M, Sandra A, Ferreira I, Rodrigues MA (2016) Estudos de fertilização do castanheiro: resultados preliminares. Revista Voz do Campo (jan/fev 2015): Agrociência VIII-IX
Arrobas M, Afonso S, Ferreira IQ, Moutinho-Pereira JM, Correia CM, Rodrigues MA (2017) Liming and application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and boron on a young plantation of chestnut. Turk J Agric For 41:441–451
Arrobas M, Afonso S, Rodrigues MA (2018) Diagnosing the nutritional condition of chestnut groves by soil and leaf analyses. Sci Hortic 228:113–121
Arrobas M, Ribeiro AC, Barreales D, Pereira E, Rodrigues MA (2019) Soil and foliar nitrogen and boron fertilization of almond trees grown under rainfed conditions. Eur J Agron 106:39–48
Borges O, Gonçalves B, Soeiro JL (2008) Nutritional quality of chestnut (Castanea sativa mill.) cultivars from Portugal. Food Chem 106:976–984
Broadley M, Brown P, Cakmak I, Rengel Z, Zhao F (2012) Function of nutrients: micronutrients. In: Marschner P (ed) Marschner’s mineral nutrition of higher plants. Elsevier, London, pp 191–248
Colin-Belgrand M, Ranger J, Bouchon J (1996) Internal nutrient translocation in chestnut tree stemwood: III. Dynamics across an age series of Castanea sativa (Miller). Ann Bot 78:729–740
Dinis L-T, Ferreira H, Pinto G, Bernardo S, Correia CM, Moutinho-Pereira J (2016) Kaolin-based, foliar reflective film protects photosystem II structure and function in grapevine leaves exposed to heat and high solar radiation. Photosynthetica 54:47–55
Echegaray N, Gomez B, Barba FJ, Franco D, Estevez M, Carballo J, Marszałek K, Lorenzo JM (2018) Chestnuts and by-products as source of natural antioxidants in meat and meat products: a review. Trends Food Sci Technol 82:110–121
Ferreira IQ (2018) Estudos de fertilização de azoto, fósforo, potássio e boro em oliveira. PhD thesis, Universidad de Léon, Spain
Ferreira IQ, Rodrigues MA, Claro AM, Arrobas M (2015) Management of nitrogen-rich legume cover crops as a mulching in traditional olive orchards. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 46:1881–1894
Ferreira IQ, Rodrigues MA, Moutinho-Pereira JM, Correia C, Arrobas M (2018a) Olive tree response to applied phosphorus in field and pot experiments. Sci Hortic 234:236–244
Ferreira IQ, Arrobas M, Moutinho-Pereira JM, Correia C, Rodrigues MA (2018b) Olive response to potassium applications under different water regimes and cultivars. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 112:387–401
Gençer NS, Mert C (2019) Studies on the gall characteristics of Dryocosmus kuriphilus in chestnut genotypes in Yalova and Bursa provinces of Turkey. Not Bot Hort Agrobo 47(1):177–182
Gomes-Laranjo J, Coutinho JP, Peixoto F, Alves JA (2007) Ecologia do castanheiro (C. sativa Mill.). In: Gomes-Laranjo J, Ferreira-Cardoso J, Portela E, Abreu CG (eds) Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal, pp 109–114
Gouveia ME, Choupina A, Coelho V, Monte E, Hermosa R, Abreu CG (2005) Diagnosis of ink disease of chestnut by molecular identification of associated Phytophthora species. Acta Hortic 639:585–589
Havlin JL, Tisdale SL, Nelson WL, Beaton JD (2014) Soil fertility and fertilizers, an introduction to nutrient management, 8th edn. Pearson, Boston
Hawkesford M, Horst W, Kichey T, Lambers H, Schjoerring J, Moller IS, White P (2012) Functions of macronutrients. In: Marschner P (ed) Marschner’s mineral nutrition of higher plants. Elsevier, London, pp 135–189
Horst WJ, Maier P (1999) Compartmentation of manganese in the vacuoles and in the apoplast of leaves in relation to genotypic manganese leaf-tissue tolerance in Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. In: Gissel-Nielsen G, Jensen A (eds) Plant nutrition – molecular biology and genetics. Kluwer Academic Publisher, pp 223–234
Houba VJG, van der Lee JJ, Novozamsky I (1997) Soil analysis procedures. Other Procedures. Landbouwuniversiteit Wagningen
Krebs P, Pezzatti GB, Beffa G, Tinner W, Conedera M (2019) Revising the sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) refugia history of the last glacial period with extended pollen and macrofossil evidence. Quat Sci Rev 206:111–128
Marschner P, Rengel Z (2012) Nutrient availability in soils. In: Marschner P (ed) Marschner’s mineral nutrition of higher plants. Elsevier, London, pp 315–330
Maurel M, Robin C, Capron G, Desprez-Loustau M-L (2001) Effects of root damage associated with Phytophthora cinnamomi on water relations, biomass accumulation, mineral nutrition and vulnerability to water deficit of Æve oak and chestnut species. For Pathol 31:353–369
Murolo S, Concas J, Romanazzi G (2019) Use of biocontrol agents as potential tools in the management of chestnut blight. Biol Control 132:102–109
Nunes L, Coutinho J, Nunes LF, Castro Rego F, Lopes D (2011) Growth, soil properties and foliage chemical analysis comparison between pure and mixed stands of Castanea sativa Mill. and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, in Northern Portugal. Forest Syst 20(3):496–507
Park J-S, Ro H-M (2018) Early-stage changes in chemical phosphorus speciation induced by liming deforested soils. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 18:435–447
Pereira MG, Caramelo L, Gouveia C, Gomes-Laranjo J, Magalhães M (2011) Assessment of weather-related risk on chestnut productivity. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 11:2729–2739
Pereira E, Coelho V, Tavares RM, Lino-Neto T, Baptista P (2012) Effect of competitive interactions between ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi on Castanea sativa performance. Mycorrhiza 22:41–49
Portela E, Ferreira-Cardoso JV, Louzada JL (2011) Boron application on a chestnut orchard: effect on yield and quality of nuts. J Plant Nutr 34:1245–1253
Portela E, Ferreira-Cardoso J, Louzada J, Gomes-Laranjo J (2015) Assessment of boron application in chestnuts: nut yield and quality. J Plant Nutr 38:973–987
Righetti TL, Wilder KL, Cummings GA (1990) Plant analysis as an aid in fertilizing orchards. In: Westermann RL (ed) Soil testing and plant analysis, 3rd edn. Book Series no. 3. SSSA, Madison, pp 563–601
Rodrigues MA, Ferreira IQ, Claro AM, Arrobas M (2012) Fertiliser recommendations for olive based upon nutrients removed in crop and pruning. Sci Hortic 142:205–211
Rodrigues MA, Grade V, Barroso V, Pereira A, Cassol LC, Arrobas M (2019) Chestnut response to organo-mineral and controlled-release fertilizers in rainfed growing conditions. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 19(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-019-00119-7
Rusu ME, Simedrea R, Gheldiu A-M, Mocan A, Vlase L, Popa D-S, Ferreira ICFR (2019) Benefits of tree nut consumption on aging and age-related diseases: mechanisms of actions. Trends Food Sci Technol 88:104–120
Santos JQ (2015) Fertilização: fundamentos agroambientais da utilização dos adubos e corretivos. Publindústria, Porto
Veronica N, Subrahmanyam D, Vishnu Kiran T, Yugandhar P, Bhadana VP, Padma V, Jayasree G, Voleti SR (2017) Influence of low phosphorus concentration on leaf photosynthetic characteristics and antioxidant response of rice genotypes. Photosynthetica 55:285–293
Walinga I, van Vark W, Houba V, van der Lee J (1989) Soil and plant analysis: part 7 – plant analysis procedures. Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen
WRB (2015) World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014, Update 2015. International Soil Classification Systems for Naming Soils and Creating Legends for Soil Maps. World Soil Resources Reports No. 106. FAO, Rome
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2015) and FEADER (The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development) through the project CMP122 - PDR2020-101-030981 – EGIS, Estratégias para uma Gestão Integrada do Solo e da Água em Espécies Produtoras de Frutos Secos. We also thank João Paulo Roxo and Carlos Lopes for allowing the experiments to be conducted on their farms.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodrigues, M.Â., Raimundo, S., Pereira, A. et al. Large Chestnut Trees (Castanea sativa) Respond Poorly to Liming and Fertilizer Application. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 20, 1261–1270 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00210-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00210-4