Abstract
Synchronizing the supply of plant-available nitrogen (N) from organic materials with the N needs of apple trees is essential to cost-effective organic apple production. Tree growth and organic matter mineralization are affected by orchard floor management. This study examines the effects of three orchard floor management systems, cultivation, wood chip mulch, and a legume cover crop, on the accumulation and partitioning of compost-derived N in young apple ( Malus domestica Borkh.) trees at different compost application dates across two growing seasons. Compost enriched with 15 N was applied to apple trees in April, May, and June of 2006 and 2007, and trees were excavated in Sept. 2007 to determine the fate of labeled compost N. Trees with wood chip mulch had significantly greater dry weight and N accumulation in vegetative tree components than trees with cultivation or legume cover. Fruit yields were similar between cultivation and wood chip treatments despite less vegetative growth under cultivation, as these trees partitioned more dry weight into fruit (44%) than wood chip mulch trees (31%). Nitrogen-use efficiency by trees was lower with a living legume cover crop than in other treatments due to competition for resources. In the cover crop aboveground biomass, 20% to 100% of the N was derived from compost. In comparison, only 5% to 40% of N in the decomposing wood chip mulch originated from compost. Tree reserves were an important source of N for spring fruit and leaf growth in all treatments, but significantly more so for trees in the cultivation treatment. Fruit and leaves were strong sinks for compost N early in the season, with trees allocating 72% of spring N uptake into leaves and fruit. In the summer, N uptake increased improving compost N-use efficiency. Summer N was preferentially allocated to perennial tissues (71%), bolstering N reserves. Trees with wood chip mulch performed well and had greater capacity to build N reserves, making wood chips ideal for establishing young organic apple orchards. However, as the orchard matures, it may be beneficial to switch to a groundcover that reduces tree vegetative growth.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Wood chip mulch increased vegetative dry weight and nitrogen accumulation compared with cultivation or legume cover.
- Taxon
- Apple Trees
Malus domesticat0 - Treatment
- wood chip mulche0
- Outcome
- dry weight and N accumulation in vegetative tree componentse0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- cultivation or legume covere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Trees with wood chip mulch had significantly greater dry weight and N accumulation in vegetative tree components than trees with cultivation or legume cover”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit yield was similar for cultivation and wood chip treatments.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- cultivatione0
- Outcome
- Fruit yieldse0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- wood chip treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit yields were similar between cultivation and wood chip treatments”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Cultivation trees partitioned 44% of dry weight to fruit versus 31% under wood chip mulch.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- cultivatione1
- Outcome
- dry weight into fruite0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- 44%e0
- Qualifier
- 31%e0
- Comparator
- wood chip mulch treese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these trees partitioned more dry weight into fruit (44%) than wood chip mulch trees (31%)”
e1“despite less vegetative growth under cultivation”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Living legume cover reduced tree nitrogen-use efficiency compared with other treatments.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- living legume cover crope0
- Outcome
- Nitrogen-use efficiencye0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- other treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen-use efficiency by trees was lower with a living legume cover crop than in other treatments due to competition for resources”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost supplied 20% to 100% of nitrogen in cover-crop aboveground biomass.
Verbatim
e0“In the cover crop aboveground biomass, 20% to 100% of the N was derived from compost”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost supplied 5% to 40% of nitrogen in decomposing wood chip mulch.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“only 5% to 40% of N in the decomposing wood chip mulch originated from compost”
Claim · model-written summary
Tree reserves supplied spring fruit and leaf nitrogen across treatments, especially with cultivation.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- cultivation treatmente0
- Outcome
- source of N for spring fruit and leaf growthe0
- Direction
- more soe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tree reserves were an important source of N for spring fruit and leaf growth in all treatments, but significantly more so for trees in the cultivation treatment”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Trees allocated 72% of spring nitrogen uptake to leaves and fruit.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- spring N uptake into leaves and fruite0
- Value
- 72%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“trees allocating 72% of spring N uptake into leaves and fruit”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Summer nitrogen uptake increased and improved compost nitrogen-use efficiency.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- N uptakee0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedOrgan / stage
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the summer, N uptake increased improving compost N-use efficiency”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Summer nitrogen was preferentially allocated to perennial tissues at 71%.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Organ / stage
- perennial tissuese0
- Outcome
- Summer N was preferentially allocated to perennial tissuese0
- Value
- 71%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Summer N was preferentially allocated to perennial tissues (71%)”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Wood chip mulch trees had greater capacity to build nitrogen reserves.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- wood chip mulche0
- Outcome
- capacity to build N reservese0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Trees with wood chip mulch performed well and had greater capacity to build N reserves”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend wood chips to establish young organic apple orchards.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- wood chips ideal for establishing young organic apple orchardse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“making wood chips ideal for establishing young organic apple orchards”
t0“Apple Trees”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest switching to a groundcover that reduces vegetative growth as orchards mature.
- Taxon
- Apple TreesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- switch to a groundcover that reduces tree vegetative growthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“as the orchard matures, it may be beneficial to switch to a groundcover that reduces tree vegetative growth”
t0“Apple Trees”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · growth · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
17 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- no effect
- positive
15 papers more in this group
See all 19 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.