Variations in nutrient uptake, yield and nut quality of different pistachio cultivars grafted on Pistacia khinjuk rootstock

Abstract

Nutrient accumulation in plant leaves provides empirical information about the uptake, translocation and utilization of available resources, which is ultimately reflected in yield. Several studies have reported that rootstock significantly affect nutrient uptake and yield in pistachio; however, little is known about the differences among cultivars of different origin grafted on the same rootstock. This study was conducted to assess the differences in nutrient uptake, yield and nut quality of different pistachio cultivars grafted on Pistacia khinjuk rootstock in Sanliurfa province, Turkey. An orchard with 14 different cultivars grafted on same rootstock was established in 1994 with 7 m × 5 m spacing. Leaf samples were collected at the beginning of fruit maturation and analyzed for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu contents. Yield and nut quality were evaluated at maturity. Significant differences were observed among cultivars for nutrient uptake, yield and nut quality. The highest N, P and K were accumulated by ‘Haciserifi’ cultivar, whereas the highest uptake of Ca, Mg and Cu was noted for ‘Mumtaz’ cultivar. Similarly, ‘Vahidi’ cultivar accumulated the highest amounts of Fe and Zn, whereas the highest accumulation of Mn was recorded for ‘Sel-15′ cultivar. The highest 100-fruit weight and yield were recorded for ‘Mumtaz’ cultivar. Similarly, the highest percentage of split nuts was recorded for ‘Sel-2′, ‘Sel-5′ and ‘Siirt’ cultivars, whereas the highest kernel ratio was noted for ‘Ohadi’ cultivar. Principal component analysis divided the cultivars in 3 groups. The cultivars in the first group had similar Cu, Mg, Ca, K accumulation, 100-fruit weight and yield, while the second group cultivars had similar accumulation of N, P, Zn and Fe. The third group had the cultivars with heterogenous accumulation of plant nutrients. It is concluded that nutrient accumulation, yield and quality of pistachio is not only influenced by rootstock; rather, grafted cultivars also significantly differ for nutrient uptake. Therefore, both rootstock and cultivars should be considered while establishing pistachio orchards for efficient utilization of available resources and better economic returns. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.