Almond (Prunus sp.) Growth and Morphological Properties Affected by Super Absorbent Polymers and Phosphorus and Iron Fertilization

• Published in: ACS agricultural science & technology 2023-04, Vol.3 (4), p.334-339
• Main Authors: Ahmadzadeh Chaleshtori, Arezoo, Kouhiyan Afzal, Mohammad Taghi, Iranipour, Ramin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2692-1952; 2692-1952
• DOI: 10.1021/acsagscitech.2c00326

Almond (Prunus sp.) is produced in large amounts in the province of ChaharMahal and Bakhtiari, Iran. The effects of super absorbent polymers (SAPs, potassium acrylamide, KC3H5NO) singly, or in combination with phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe), on the growth and morphological properties of 20-year old almond orchards were tested in a two-year field experiment. It was a three-way factorial on the basis of a complete randomized block design testing almond growth affected by SAPs (control and 100 g), P (control and 750 g) using triple super phosphate, and Fe (control and 250 g) using FeSO4, placed at 70 cm depth of each tree shadow zone. The plant samples were collected and measured in July, four months after flowering. The trees used for sampling were similar in terms of age and cultivar. The green and woody nuts were collected in August and September, respectively. The perimeter of trunk environment (PTT), branch length (BL), branch length after three months (BLT), difference of branch length (DBL), number of almond fruits (NAF), weight of green, woody, and fresh nuts (GWN), and weight of woody and fresh nuts (WN) were determined. The tested treatments singly or in combination significantly improved plant morphological properties including BL, BLT, and WN. The important conclusion about the present research is the gradual release of water by SAPs, which makes the plant roots absorb water along with the essential nutrients including the tested P and Fe at the right time for a higher tree branch and nut production.