Foliar Calcium Fertilizers Impact on Several Fruit Quality Characteristics and Leaf and Fruit Nutritional Status of the ‘Hayward’ Kiwifruit Cultivar
Thomas Sotiropoulos,
Antonios Voulgarakis,
Dionisios Karaiskos,
Theocharis Chatzistathis,
Ioannis Manthos,
Olga Dichala,
Areti Mpountla
Affiliations
Thomas Sotiropoulos
Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘Demeter’, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Department of Deciduous Fruit Tree Growing, 59035 Naoussa, Greece
Antonios Voulgarakis
NATURE SA, Nea Efessos, 60100 Pieria, Greece
Dionisios Karaiskos
NATURE SA, Nea Efessos, 60100 Pieria, Greece
Theocharis Chatzistathis
Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘Demeter’, Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ioannis Manthos
Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘Demeter’, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Department of Nut Trees, 35100 Neo Krikello-Lamia, Greece
Olga Dichala
Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘Demeter’, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Areti Mpountla
Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘Demeter’, Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Calcium preharvest application influences fruit quality. The impact of preharvest foliar sprays using several commercial fertilizers with Ca content on the fruit quality and nutritional status of the kiwi cv. ‘Hayward’ was investigated for a 2-year period. Fruit flesh firmness increased under all Ca sprays compared to the control. Total soluble solids and acidity were not altered significantly by any of the studied Ca products. Treatment differences with regard to fruit firmness, soluble solids concentration and acids at harvest were maintained during cold storage for 2 and 4 months. Foliar sprays did not affect the N, P, K, Mg, B, Fe, Mn and Zn concentrations of leaves and fruits. However, all treatments increased the concentration of Ca in leaves and fruits compared to the control.
