Abstract:

To lay a theoretical basis for apple soil testing and fertilizer recommendation in China, the method of scattered experimental data integration and the method of nutrient balance and target yield minus soil fertility yield were employed to study the abundance-deficiency index (rich-lack index, RLI) of soil nutrients and the recommended soil fertilizer application rates (RSFAR) for apple plangting in China. The results showed that the RLI of soil available P for apples in China from the first to the seventh level was ≥51, 16-51, 5-16, 2-5, 0.4-2, 0.1-0.4 and <0.1 mg/kg, respectively; the RLI of soil available K from the first to the fifth level was≥381, 126-381, 42-126, 14-42 and <14 mg/kg, respectively; the RLI of soil total nitrogen from the second to the ninth level was ≥1.4, 1.1-1.4, 0.8-1.1, 0.6-0.8, 0.5-0.6, 0.4-0.5, 0.26-0.4 and <0.26 g/kg, respectively. When the N, P, K fertilizer use efficiency was 40%, 20% and 50% and the target yield was 30-75 t/hm², the range of the RSFAR of P for the first to the seventh level soil was 0-0, 12-30, 24-60, 36-90, 48-120, 60-150 and 72-180 kg/hm², respectively; the range of the RSFAR of K for the first to the fifth level soil was 0-0, 20-51, 41-102, 61-153 and 82-204 kg/hm², respectively; and the range of the RSFAR of N for the second to the ninth level soil was 19-47, 38-94, 56-141, 75-188, 94-234, 113-281, 131-328 and 150-375 kg/hm², respectively. In this study, the recommended fertilization system of N, P and K in China’s apple soil was established preliminarily, which could provide a scientific basis for apple soil testing and fertilization. But the research on the index of nutrient abundance and deficiency of apple soil in China is still not perfect, and apple fertilization should be explored further.

Key words: China, apple, soil testing and fertilizer recommendation, abundance-deficiency index, total nitrogen, available P, available K, fertilizer application rate