FLOWER ANALYSIS FOR PROGNOSIS OF NUTRITIONAL DYNAMICS OF ALMOND TREE

Abstract

The nutritional fluctuations of almond tree leaves and fruits during their development have been studied to relate the fluctuated nutrient concentrations of these tissues to the nutritional status of flowers. Comparative monitoring for two years in an experimental orchard of almond trees (cv Texas) under integrated production management showed that the analysis of almond tree flowers could be used for the forecast of the elemental dynamics of leaves and fruits of this tree. The values proposed to interpret the elemental analysis of the flowers, under the conditions of this study are: nitrogen (N)=2.8% (± 0.5), phosphorus (P)=0.55% (± 0.10), potassium (K)=2.3% (± 0.2), calcium (Ca)=1.25% (± 0.25), magnesium (Mg)=0.45% (± 0.07), iron (Fe)= 125 ppm (± 25), copper (Cu)=40 ppm (± 8), zinc (Zn)=65 ppm (± 10), and manganese (Mn)=26 ppm (± 4).