Effects of different organic materials and chemical fertilizers on nutrition of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) in organic arboriculture

Abstract

This study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to investigate the effects of applied nutrients such as six organic materials (gyttja, alsil, humic acid, sea moss, straw and peat) and two chemical fertilizers (15-15-15, and 20-20-0) with different dosages on nutrient uptaking ability of one-year old and 7 cm long pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) trees by analyzing nutrient (mineral) contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves. The experiment was designed as randomized block design with four replicates. Even though organic and inorganic materials had different effects on element contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves, overall, these materials had statistically significant effects on P, Mg, Na, Mn, and Cu contents of pistachio leaves. The effect of organic and inorganic materials on K, Ca, Zn, and Fe contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves was statistically not significant. Besides, inorganic fertilizers increased P content of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves, but this increase caused the decrease of Cu content. High level of P content may be the reason of low uptake of some micro elements such as Cu. Although application of organic and inorganic materials generally increase P uptake, organic materials especially peat, gyttja and sea moss increased nutrient contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves. This result is a significant knowledge in pistachio areas because they have low nutrients in there. © 2010 Academic Journals.