Apple Growing in Norway—Ecologic Factors, Current Fertilization Practices and Fruit Quality: A Case Study

• Published in: Horticulturae 2024-03, Vol.10 (3), p.233
• Main Authors: Ličina, Vlado, Krogstad, Tore, Fotirić Akšić, Milica, Meland, Mekjell
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture; Apple; Apples; Application; Aroma; Case studies; Clay minerals; Climate; Climate change; Climatic conditions; Cold; cultivar; Cultivars; Daylight; Environmental aspects; Fertilization; Fertilizers; Fjords; Food quality; Fruits; Malus domestica Borkh; Mineralization; minerals; Natural & organic foods; Nitrogen; Organic matter; Organic soils; Physiological aspects; Physiological effects; Plant growth; Planting density; Precipitation; Seasons; soil; Soil formation; Soil types; Soils; Summer; Temperature; Weather; Winter
• ISSN: 2311-7524; 2311-7524
• DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae10030233

This paper presents some features of apple production in Norway, the northernmost apple-growing country in the world. Acceptable growing conditions prevail along the fjords in western Norway and around the lakes in eastern Norway at 60° north. These specific mesic climate conditions are associated with very long summer days (18 h daylight mid-summer) and short winter days (6 h daylight), with frost rarely occurring in the spring along the fjord areas. The present apple-growing technique in Norway is similar to that of other developed apple-growing countries, taking into account that all local growing phases involve a considerable delay in progress (1.5–2 months). Therefore, high-density planting systems based on the use of dwarf rootstocks (mainly M.9) with imported early maturing international apple cultivars are used in most orchards. The most common soil type has high organic matter content (2–18%), which persists due to the cool climate and low mineralization, and a clay content of