What are the latest symptoms of iron deficiency in peach trees?
Peach trees are cultivated throughout China, and peaches are a fruit that many people enjoy eating. When planting peach trees and fertilizing, we need to pay attention to supplying sufficient and comprehensive nutrients. This is especially true for trace elements such as iron; if a peach tree is deficient in iron, it will develop iron deficiency symptoms, affecting the tree's growth. So what are the symptoms of iron deficiency in peach trees? And how should it be prevented and controlled? Below, the editor will briefly introduce this for everyone. Let's take a look together!
1. Symptom manifestations
After a peach tree develops iron deficiency, the leaf mesophyll gradually loses its green color and turns yellow, but the areas on both sides of the leaf veins do not change much, causing the leaf surface to show chlorosis in a green net-veined pattern. As the condition worsens, the chlorosis of the leaves intensifies, causing the entire leaf to turn white. The leaf margins also gradually become scorched and withered, with severe leaf drop occurring. If the iron deficiency is severe, the tips of the new shoots of the peach tree will also die back. The fruit of affected trees cannot develop color, and because iron is difficult to translocate within fruit trees, iron deficiency symptoms generally begin with the young leaves at the tips of new shoots.
2. Conditions for occurrence
Under normal circumstances, the soil in most orchards has relatively sufficient iron content. However, if the orchard soil is saline-alkaline, the soluble ferrous iron in the soil will gradually convert into insoluble ferric iron. Peach trees simply cannot absorb and utilize it, resulting in iron deficiency symptoms. Therefore, any factor that causes soil salinization can become a cause of iron deficiency in peach trees. Also, when the soil is too dry, the groundwater will concentrate in the surface layer of the soil when it evaporates. Additionally, heavy clay soil, poor drainage and irrigation, and other issues can easily cause iron deficiency in peach trees.
3. Prevention and control methods
Improving the soil and increasing the iron content in the soil are key measures for preventing and controlling iron deficiency in peach trees. We can add an appropriate amount of soluble iron to the soil, which can effectively treat iron-deficient peach trees. Then we can also increase the content of organic matter in the soil by applying more organic fertilizer, planting green manure, and other measures to improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil. By digging trenches for drainage, lowering the groundwater level, and improving soil permeability to treat the problem of overly alkaline soil, we can effectively reduce the yellowing of peach tree leaves. For diseased trees with iron deficiency, we can supplement soluble iron through various methods.
The main approach is still prevention. Before the peach trees bud, we should spray an appropriate amount of ferrous sulfate on the branches and trunk, which can control iron deficiency in the short term. We can also apply an appropriate amount of chelated iron to the soil, which can significantly treat yellow leaf disease. Then, before the fruit trees bud, we can score the lateral roots of the peach tree and soak them with ferrous sulfate. Alternatively, we can inject ferrous sulfate or ferric citrate into the trunk. However, if the injection method is improper, it can easily cause phytotoxicity, so everyone should pay close attention.
The above is a brief introduction to what the symptoms of iron deficiency in peach trees are. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!