Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit Quality
Sour cherry (<i>Prunus cerasus</i> L.) is one of the most important fruit crops in Poland and ‘Łutówka’ is the dominant cultivar in commercial orchards. The experiment was carried out in 2007–2013 in three orchards; in each of them, three levels of fertilization were applied: 0 N kg ha&l...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/12/2069 |
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| author | Krzysztof Rutkowski Grzegorz P. Łysiak Zofia Zydlik |
| author_facet | Krzysztof Rutkowski Grzegorz P. Łysiak Zofia Zydlik |
| author_sort | Krzysztof Rutkowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sour cherry (<i>Prunus cerasus</i> L.) is one of the most important fruit crops in Poland and ‘Łutówka’ is the dominant cultivar in commercial orchards. The experiment was carried out in 2007–2013 in three orchards; in each of them, three levels of fertilization were applied: 0 N kg ha<sup>−1</sup>, 60 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>, and 120 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>. The activity of dehydrogenase and protease in the soil was studied depending on nitrogen fertilization. The abundance of soil microorganisms was assessed: bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and nitrogenous bacteria (<i>Azospirillum</i> and <i>Azotobacter</i>) in the years during the experiments carried out with fertilization of 60 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> in all orchards. The enzyme activity of dehydrogenases increased after the use of 60 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> from 3.8 to 6.7 (cm<sup>3</sup> H<sub>2</sub> 24 h<sup>−1</sup> kg<sup>−1</sup> DW soil), but a further increase in the dose to 120 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> caused a decrease in activity to 5.1 (cm<sup>3</sup> H<sub>2</sub> 24 h<sup>−1</sup> kg<sup>−1</sup> DW soil). The activity of proteases was dependent on nitrogen fertilization, but to a large extent it was related to the course of climatic conditions. There is no relationship between the growth and the activity of proteases. The yield and selected quality parameters of the cherry fruits were associated with both dehydrogenases and proteases. The use of lower doses of nitrogen fertilizers allows for maintaining biological balance in the soil and a more efficient use of nutrients, contributing to less environmental pollution. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:27:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
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| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c717a2ce257480f8dea7ccb061415452023-11-24T12:40:49ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722022-12-011212206910.3390/agriculture12122069Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit QualityKrzysztof Rutkowski0Grzegorz P. Łysiak1Zofia Zydlik2Department of Ornamental Plants, Dendrology and Pomology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 159, 60-594 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Ornamental Plants, Dendrology and Pomology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 159, 60-594 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Ornamental Plants, Dendrology and Pomology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 159, 60-594 Poznań, PolandSour cherry (<i>Prunus cerasus</i> L.) is one of the most important fruit crops in Poland and ‘Łutówka’ is the dominant cultivar in commercial orchards. The experiment was carried out in 2007–2013 in three orchards; in each of them, three levels of fertilization were applied: 0 N kg ha<sup>−1</sup>, 60 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>, and 120 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>. The activity of dehydrogenase and protease in the soil was studied depending on nitrogen fertilization. The abundance of soil microorganisms was assessed: bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and nitrogenous bacteria (<i>Azospirillum</i> and <i>Azotobacter</i>) in the years during the experiments carried out with fertilization of 60 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> in all orchards. The enzyme activity of dehydrogenases increased after the use of 60 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> from 3.8 to 6.7 (cm<sup>3</sup> H<sub>2</sub> 24 h<sup>−1</sup> kg<sup>−1</sup> DW soil), but a further increase in the dose to 120 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> caused a decrease in activity to 5.1 (cm<sup>3</sup> H<sub>2</sub> 24 h<sup>−1</sup> kg<sup>−1</sup> DW soil). The activity of proteases was dependent on nitrogen fertilization, but to a large extent it was related to the course of climatic conditions. There is no relationship between the growth and the activity of proteases. The yield and selected quality parameters of the cherry fruits were associated with both dehydrogenases and proteases. The use of lower doses of nitrogen fertilizers allows for maintaining biological balance in the soil and a more efficient use of nutrients, contributing to less environmental pollution.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/12/2069soilbiodiversitysour cherrydehydrogenaseproteasebacteria |
| spellingShingle | Krzysztof Rutkowski Grzegorz P. Łysiak Zofia Zydlik Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit Quality Agriculture soil biodiversity sour cherry dehydrogenase protease bacteria |
| title | Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit Quality |
| title_full | Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit Quality |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit Quality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit Quality |
| title_short | Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Sour Cherry Orchard on Soil Enzymatic Activities, Microbial Population, and Fruit Quality |
| title_sort | effect of nitrogen fertilization in the sour cherry orchard on soil enzymatic activities microbial population and fruit quality |
| topic | soil biodiversity sour cherry dehydrogenase protease bacteria |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/12/2069 |
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