Use of innovative plant nutrition products (fertilizers and biostimulants) to increase apple yield, weight, and quality, in a high-density orchard

Abstract

Feeding a growing population needs inflated yields and improved crop quality, that is inspired by biostimulants. Extreme temperatures, water shortages, salinity and alternative temperature change pressures need crops to be resilient. Biostimulants increase a plant' tolerance to the adverse effects of abiotic stress. Biostimulants will improve product quality parameters. In this specific project there was used and evaluated innovative plant nutrition products (fertilizers and biostimulants) of well-known agricultural company Hello-nature to increase apple yield, weight, and quality, in a high-density orchard in a pink lady apple variety in a Greek orchard in Larissa. There was conducted foliar applications of 4 different biostimulant products (Scudo, Myr K, Myr Ca and Auxym) with the use of modern and common orchard boom sprayer before the harvesting of the apple fruits. After the harvesting of the fruits there was measured the apple weight of 10 apples per tree and the number of infested apples while there was evaluated the yield and the quality/coloring of apples fruits regarding the effect that the biostimulants had on them. Furthermore, there was conducted a statistical analysis (in the statistical program JMP) of the 4 different treatments and products regarding fruit weight, yield and number of infestation level. In the end there is demonstrated the results of the foliar experiments in the Pink lady apple variety orchard and there is also concluded the important aspects and evaluations of the experiment as well as there is highlighted a return on investment (ROI) table based on the money that will earn the farmer using one of these specific biostimulants.