Abstract
The recent growth in the U.S. hard-cider industry has increased the demand for cider apples ( Malus × domestica Borkh.), but little is known about how to manage orchard soil fertility best to optimize horticultural performance and juice characteristics for these cultivars. To assess whether nitrogen fertilizer applied to the soil can improve apple juice and cider quality, calcium nitrate (CaNO 3 ) fertilizer was applied at different rates to the soil beneath ‘Golden Russet’ and ‘Medaille d’Or’ trees over the course of three growing seasons. The experiment started when the trees were in their second leaf. The trees were cropped in their third and fourth leaf. At the end of the first growing season of the experiment, the greatest fertilizer rate increased tree trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) by 82% relative to the control, but this difference did not persist through to the end of the study. Yield and crop load were unaffected by the nitrogen fertilization treatments. Increasing the nitrogen fertilizer rate correlated positively with more advanced harvest maturity in ‘Golden Russet’ fruit, which resulted in greater soluble solid concentration (SSC). Fruit from the greatest fertilizer rate treatment had an average starch pattern index (SPI) that was 1 U greater than in the control, and an SSC that was 3% greater than the control. The fertilizer treatments did not affect juice pH, titratable acidity (TA), or total polyphenol concentrations. Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) concentrations were increased by nitrogen fertilization for both cultivars in both harvest years. The greatest fertilizer treatment increased juice primary amino nitrogen by 103% relative to the control. Greater nitrogen fertilization rates correlated positively with less hydrogen sulfide production during the fermentation of ‘Golden Russet’ juice from the first, but not the second, harvest. During the first year, cumulative hydrogen sulfide production for the ‘Golden Russet’ control treatment was 29.6 μg·L –1 compared with the ‘Golden Russet’ high treatment, which cumulatively produced 0.1 μg·L –1 . Greater maximum fermentation rates and shorter fermentation durations correlated positively with increased fertilization rate for both cultivars after the second harvest. High treatment fermentations had maximum fermentation rates 110% greater, and fermentation durations 30% shorter than the control. Other horticultural and juice-quality parameters were not affected negatively by the CaNO 3 treatments. In orchards producing apples specifically for the hard-cider industry, nitrogen fertilizer could increase juice YAN, thus reducing the need for exogenous additions during cider production.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by-nc-nd. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 18
Claim · model-written summary
The greatest fertilizer rate increased tree trunk cross-sectional area by 82% in the first season.
- Taxon
- Apples
Malus domesticat0 - Treatment
- greatest fertilizer ratee0
- Outcome
- tree trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 82%e0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the greatest fertilizer rate increased tree trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) by 82% relative to the control”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
The trunk area difference did not persist to study end.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- differencee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“this difference did not persist through to the end of the study”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization did not affect yield and crop load.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- nitrogen fertilization treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Yield and crop loade0
- Direction
- unaffectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yield and crop load were unaffected by the nitrogen fertilization treatments”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher fertilizer rate correlated with more advanced Golden Russet harvest maturity.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Golden Russet’e0
- Treatment
- nitrogen fertilizer ratee0
- Outcome
- harvest maturitye0
- Direction
- more advancede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing the nitrogen fertilizer rate correlated positively with more advanced harvest maturity in ‘Golden Russet’ fruit”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
More advanced maturity yielded greater soluble solids.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Organ / stage
- fruite1
- Outcome
- soluble solid concentration (SSC)e0
- Direction
- greatere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which resulted in greater soluble solid concentration (SSC)”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
e1“Increasing the nitrogen fertilizer rate correlated positively with more advanced harvest maturity in ‘Golden Russet’ fruit”
Claim · model-written summary
The greatest fertilizer rate raised fruit starch pattern index by 1 U.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- greatest fertilizer rate treatmente0
- Outcome
- starch pattern index (SPI)e0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Value
- 1 Ue0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit from the greatest fertilizer rate treatment had an average starch pattern index (SPI) that was 1 U greater than in the control”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
The greatest fertilizer rate raised soluble solids by 3%.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- greatest fertilizer ratee1
- Outcome
- SSCe0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Value
- 3%e0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“an SSC that was 3% greater than the control”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
e1“the greatest fertilizer rate increased tree trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) by 82% relative to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer did not affect juice pH, acidity or polyphenols.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- fertilizer treatmentse0
- Outcome
- juice pH, titratable acidity (TA), or total polyphenol concentrationse0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The fertilizer treatments did not affect juice pH, titratable acidity (TA), or total polyphenol concentrations”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization increased yeast assimilable nitrogen in both cultivars in both harvests.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- nitrogen fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) concentrationse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) concentrations were increased by nitrogen fertilization for both cultivars in both harvest years”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
The greatest fertilizer rate increased juice primary amino nitrogen by 103%.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- greatest fertilizer treatmente0
- Outcome
- juice primary amino nitrogene0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 103%e0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The greatest fertilizer treatment increased juice primary amino nitrogen by 103% relative to the control”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher fertilization correlated with less hydrogen sulfide production in first-harvest Golden Russet fermentation.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Golden Russet’e0
- Treatment
- nitrogen fertilization ratese0
- Outcome
- hydrogen sulfide productione0
- Direction
- lesse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Greater nitrogen fertilization rates correlated positively with less hydrogen sulfide production during the fermentation of ‘Golden Russet’ juice from the first, but not the second, harvest”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Golden Russet control and high treatment produced 29.6 and 0.1 μg·L –1 hydrogen sulfide in year one.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- ‘Golden Russet’ high treatmente0
- Outcome
- cumulative hydrogen sulfide productione0
- Value
- 0.1 μg·L –1e0
- Comparator
- ‘Golden Russet’ control treatmente0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cumulative hydrogen sulfide production for the ‘Golden Russet’ control treatment was 29.6 μg·L –1 compared with the ‘Golden Russet’ high treatment, which cumulatively produced 0.1 μg·L –1”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher fertilization correlated with greater maximum fermentation rate after the second harvest.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increased fertilization ratee0
- Outcome
- maximum fermentation ratese0
- Direction
- Greatere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Greater maximum fermentation rates and shorter fermentation durations correlated positively with increased fertilization rate for both cultivars after the second harvest”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher fertilization correlated with shorter fermentation duration after the second harvest.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increased fertilization ratee0
- Outcome
- fermentation durationse0
- Direction
- shortere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Greater maximum fermentation rates and shorter fermentation durations correlated positively with increased fertilization rate for both cultivars after the second harvest”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
High treatment fermentation rate was 110% greater than control.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- High treatmente0
- Outcome
- maximum fermentation ratese0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Value
- 110%e0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“High treatment fermentations had maximum fermentation rates 110% greater, and fermentation durations 30% shorter than the control”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
High treatment fermentation duration was 30% shorter than control.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- High treatmente0
- Outcome
- fermentation durationse0
- Direction
- shortere0
- Value
- 30%e0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“High treatment fermentations had maximum fermentation rates 110% greater, and fermentation durations 30% shorter than the control”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Other horticultural and juice quality parameters were not adversely affected.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- CaNO 3 treatmentse0
- Outcome
- horticultural and juice-quality parameterse0
- Direction
- not affected negativelye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Other horticultural and juice-quality parameters were not affected negatively by the CaNO 3 treatments”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors suggest orchard nitrogen fertilizer could raise YAN and reduce exogenous additions.
- Taxon
- ApplesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- increase juice YANe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“nitrogen fertilizer could increase juice YAN, thus reducing the need for exogenous additions during cider production”
t0“Apples Used for Cider Production”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · quality: sugar starch · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
15 papers in the same direction as this paper · 23 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
35 papers more in this group
See all 39 papers →fertilization · molecular: metabolites · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
30 papers in the same direction as this paper · 16 in the opposite direction · 2 reporting no difference from an alternative
- no effect
- negative
- negative
45 papers more in this group
See all 49 papers →fertilization · yield · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
27 papers in the same direction as this paper · 150 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
174 papers more in this group
See all 178 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.