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AGRICULTURAE
CONSPECTUS SCIENTIFICUS
Volume 65, No 2, 2000 (71-78)
ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC
PAPER
Seasonal Changes in Calcium Concentration of Bearing Plum Shoots
Zlatko CMELIK
SUMMARY
The seasonal changes in Ca concentration in the tissues of of plum shoots
taken from mature trees of the cultivar Bistrica were determined over
two growing seasons. Samples were taken from trees that were growing in
grass sward and from trees under improved management (with pruning, manure
and fertilizer application, soil cultivation under the trees and mowing
of the grass sward between the alleys)
The investigation showed that seasonal changes in Ca concentration in
particular parts of plum shoots was quite different. Decreasing of calcium
concentration was observed in the vegetative and generative buds in the
period from the beginning of vegetation to full blooming, and in the fruits
from the period when the shoot growth ceased to the time of fruit ripening.
On the contrary, calcium concentration was increasing during the vegetation
in the leaf blade, leaf petiole and in the bark of the shoots. Calcium
concentration in the wood tissue of the plum shoots wasn’t changed over
the growing season.
In the bark of the previous year shoots calcium concentration was gradually
increased from the beginning of vegetation to the full blooming and then
decreased smoothly to the middle of vegetation, and to the fall remained
stable. In the wood tissue of the previous shoot from the beginning of
vegetation to the phenophase of the green head decreasing of Ca concentration
occurred. After that Ca concentration increased in full blooming and stayed
stable to the middle of the season, and then it fell slowly to the end
of vegetation.
The results of investigation showed that management had no effect on the
seasonal tendency and had a little effect on Ca concentration level. Calcium
concentration in the bark of the new growth and in the bark of the previous
year shoots of control was significantly greater.
KEY WORDS
Prunus domestica, cultivar Bistrica, mineral nutrition, calcium,
orchard management
Department of Pomology
Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb
Sveto¹imunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
E-mail: zcmelik@agr.hr
Received: September 10, 1999
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