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LinkedInSampling for Nutrients
Regular leaf sampling for nutrients can be a valuable tool for diagnosing nutritional problems in the orchard and also evaluating the effectiveness of one's fertilization program. The standard procedure (click here to read about an experimental dormant sampling procedure) is to collect 60 to 100 leaves randomly throughout the orchard in June or July. For peach and nectarine, sample midshoot leaves on moderately vigorous current season shoots (10 to 20 inches long). For plum, sample leaves from non-fruiting spurs. After drying the samples, send them to a commercial lab for nutrient analysis.
The table at the right indicates optimum ranges for each nutrient. Deficency and toxicity thresholds are also indicated if known. (We have proposed changing some of these thesholds based on research with the sand tank trees - Refining Deficiency Levels)
Below are graphs from a survey of 60 healthy commercial orchards sampled in July 2004. Note that only nitrogen and zinc were deficient in any of the orchards. Some orchards also showed higher than optimum nitrogen levels. Click on the graph to enlarge.
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Nitrogen
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note some orchards are clearly deficient (<2.6) and many others are in excess of the optimum (>3.0). |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Phosphorus
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note none of the orchards are deficient (<0.1). |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Potassium
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note a couple of orchards are marginally low but none are deficient (<1.0). |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Calcium
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note none of the orchards are deficient (<1.0) |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Magnesium
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note none of the orchards are deficient (<0.25). |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Iron
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note none of the orchards are deficient (<60 ppm). |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Manganese
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note none of the orchards are deficient (<20 ppm). |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Zinc
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Based on the nutrient table, most these orchards would be considered low or deficient. However, go to the webpage on zinc for more detailed discussion. |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Boron
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note none of the orchards are below the deficiency threshold (18 ppm) or over the toxicity threshold (100 ppm). |
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Peach Orchard Survey - Leaf Copper
Survey of 60 commercial peach orchards in July 2004. Note none of the orchards are deficient (<4.0 ppm). |