Fertilizer Requirements and Key Fertilization Points for Peach Trees

In addition to mastering the general fertilization principles for fruit trees, because peach trees have shallow root systems and require soil with good aeration, peach tree fertilization should place even more emphasis on combining with soil improvement. Furthermore, peach orchards are generally not suitable for forage grass cultivation, and green manure planted between rows should also be selected from creeping-type varieties, and cut and mowed multiple times at the appropriate times, so as to avoid competing with peach trees for nutrients. Peach trees have a wide distribution range, and early-, mid-, and late-maturing varieties have certain differences in fertilizer requirements. Early-maturing varieties have smaller fertilizer requirements, while late-maturing varieties have larger fertilizer requirements. Generally, for every 1000 kg of fruit produced (Hakuho peach), 4.8 kg of nitrogen (N), 2.0 kg of phosphorus, and 7.6 kg of potassium are required. The ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is roughly 1:0.4:1.6. However, for the growth of peach trees, a larger proportion of potassium is required.

According to surveys, one 8-year-old peach tree of the Hakuho variety absorbs 14.28 kg of potassium, 8.94 kg of nitrogen (N), and 3.67 kg of phosphorus in one annual cycle. Insufficient potassium often results in weak branches, small and pale leaves that curl upward, red-brown leaf margins that appear scorched, sometimes grassy-yellow spots on the leaf blade, early leaf drop, more physiological fruit drop, earlier fruit ripening, and a tendency for rot to occur at the fruit apex. Among deciduous fruit trees, peach trees are a tree species relatively sensitive to medium and trace elements, with the response to iron deficiency being especially prominent. Iron deficiency in peach trees first appears as chlorosis on young leaves, turning pale yellow or even white, with the veins also losing green color. While the veins lose green color, spotted necrosis often appears on the leaf margins and leaf surface. When iron deficiency is severe, it causes new shoots to wither. On alkaline soils with high calcium content, waterlogging can very easily cause peach tree leaf chlorosis.

Therefore, peach orchards must avoid waterlogging. After waterlogging in a peach orchard, it should be drained as soon as possible, then shallow plowing and loosening of the soil should be carried out to increase soil permeability. When soil manganese is deficient, it can also cause peach tree leaves to lose green color and turn yellow, but unlike iron deficiency, the leaves turn yellow while the veins and the mesophyll near the veins remain green, and the veins are relatively clear. When manganese deficiency is severe, small dark brown spots appear on the leaf surface. There can be a problem of manganese deficiency, and there can also be a problem of manganese toxicity. In acidic soils in the south or in long-term waterlogged soils, peach trees may suffer from manganese toxicity. Unlike manganese deficiency, manganese toxicity causes scorched spots at the margins and tips of old leaves, which gradually expand, and no chlorosis occurs. In addition, little leaf caused by zinc deficiency and the suberized brown area near the pit of the fruit and cracking along the fruit suture caused by boron deficiency are also nutritional diseases to which peach trees are prone.