Influence of rootstock on the mineral concentrations of flowers and leaves from sweet cherry

Abstract

The influence of rootstock on the mineral composition of scion leaves of fruit trees is generally accepted. The present work was carried out to corroborate if this influence is also evident for the mineral nutrient concentrations in flowers. The study was made in an experimental orchard of sweet cherry (Prunus avium, L. cv. ‘Van’) grafted on three rootstocks: Adara, SL 64 and Cok. Flowers and leaves were sampled at full bloom and 60 days after fuil bloom (DAFB) respectively. They were analyzed for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu).

Floral analysis showed that most nutrients were affected by the rootstock. P and Ca, contents behaved similarly for cherry flower and leaf 60 DAFB. The range of variation of K, Mg, and Cu in flowers, among rootstocks, was shorter than that of leaves. In contrast, the range of variation of Na, Zn, and especially Fe, in flowers was longer than that of leaves.