Chronica - Acta Horticulturae

Section Pome and Stone Fruits
Fifth Int’l Symposium on Mineral
Nutrition of Fruit Plants
The Vth International Symposium on Mineral
Nutrition of Fruit Plants was held in Talca
(Chile), on 16-21 January 2005. The program
included a three-day presymposium tour (16-18
January) to subtropical and temperate fruit
orchards and experiment stations in Central
Chile. The tour included grapes (wine and
table), avocados, cherimoyas, strawberries,
apples and pears, with special emphasis on fertilizer
application, soil conditions and plant
growth (roots and top).
The meeting was held at the Campus of the
Universidad de Talca between 19-21 January
and was sponsored by the Universidad de Talca
and New Ag Magazine, under the auspices of
the Chilean Society for Fruit Culture (SOCHI-
FRUT). The main topics covered during the
meeting were: Plant Growth and Nutrient
Cycling, Methods and Effects of Fertilizer
Application, and Nutrient Analysis and
Management. A total of 91 people from 21
countries attended 38 oral and 26 poster presentations.
In the afternoon of the second day,
there was a field trip to a nearby orchard planted
with apples, blueberries and wine grapes.
During the field trip there was an emphasis on
discussions about root growth, soil conditions,
Nickel deficiency in pecan tree. Photo by
courtesy of Wood et al., 2005.
Participants of the Symposium.
nutrient deficiency symptoms and plant performance.
Even though in orchard management the cost
of fertilizers is relatively low (usually less than
15%), mineral nutrients have great impact on
fruit yield and quality, as well as on water quality
and contamination. Despite new technological
advances that have increased the amount
of information available to growers and technical
staff, this information is not useful unless
it is based on sound physiological and economical
knowledge. Thus, there is an increasing
demand for the integration of knowledge
from different disciplines related to the interaction
of mineral nutrients with various factors
that impact fruit plant growth and development.
With regards to previous symposia, there was
greater emphasis on the interaction of nutrients
with other factors and conditions in the
orchard. In this regard, the following topics
received greater attention from attendees:
❚ Root growth and activity should acquire
greater importance in the future, as they relate
to nutrient use and plant growth and performance.
Delayed bud break on pecan as influence of
Ni deficiency (degree of Ni deficiency
decreasing from left to right).
Photo by courtesy of Wood et al., 2005.
❚ The role of stomata in the uptake of foliarapplied
nutrients should be studied in different
species, since the data presented at the
symposium would suggest that they have a
more important role than previously defined.
❚ In order to improve the prediction of physiological
disorders in fruit, the incorporation of
variables other that nutrient status is generally
beneficial.
ISHS • 36