African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12487

Review

Foliar nutrition in apple production

Senad Murtic1*, Hamdija Civic2, Milena Ðuric3, Gordana Šekularac4, Radisav Kojovic5, Mirko Kulina6 and Milorad Krsmanovic5
1Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2Department of Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 3Department of Plant Physiology, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Agriculture Cacak, Serbia 4Department of Water Menagement, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Agriculture Cacak, Serbia  5Faculty of Agriculture Cacak, University of Kragujevac, Serbia 6Faculty of Agriculture, University of East Sarajevo, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina  
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 25 May 2012
  •  Published: 07 June 2012

Abstract

In order to create conditions conducive to sustainable fruit production, involving optimum utilization of all sources of plant nutrients with minimum environmental pollution, it is necessary to reorient agricultural producers to use those types of fertilization that are environmentally safe and appropriate which can also satisfy all fruit tree nutrient requirements. This gives particular importance to foliar nutrition as this model poses the lowest risk of soil and groundwater contamination with undesirable mineral elements. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of research papers dealing with the effect of foliar feeding on development parameters in apple trees in an attempt to obtain a more thorough insight into the advantages and disadvantages of this fertilization type and facilitate the potential use of this practice for apple producers.

 

Key words: Malus x domestica, foliar fertilization, nutrient, leaves.