What causes premature aging in apple trees?
Everyone surely knows about apples, a very common fruit in daily life that also contains very high nutritional value, and is the favorite of most people. The planting area in our country is also very wide, and there are quite a few apple varieties in our country, such as Red Delicious and Fuji. But all varieties of apples will encounter one problem during the planting process, which is premature aging, and premature aging will have a huge impact on the yield and quality of apples. So what causes premature aging in apple trees? Take a look with the editor!
1. Canker and wood rot
Canker and wood rot is one of the main causes of premature aging in apple trees. According to experiments, fruit trees suffering from canker and wood rot have a rate of premature aging half higher than fruit trees not suffering from it. It is mainly because mechanical damage to the fruit trees leads to too many wounds, or an insufficient nutrient supply is not guaranteed, or pest and disease control is not taken seriously, all of which will aggravate the occurrence of canker and wood rot and cause premature aging of the fruit trees.
2. Fertilization
Improper fertilization by growers during the planting process can also cause premature aging of fruit trees. For example, when fertilizing, fruit growers do not properly control the nutritional balance of the fertilizer. The nutrient content of the fertilizer is insufficient, or a certain kind of fertilizer is applied in a one-sided way or excessively. This causes many fruit trees to develop obvious nutrient deficiency symptoms. Nutrient deficiency symptoms are caused by unbalanced nutrition, or by insufficient fertilizer, and the fruit trees lack nutrition for growth and develop poorly, leading to premature aging.
3. Climate
Climate change that is too rapid, or climate that is too severe, will also aggravate the premature aging of apple trees. In spring and summer, the temperature rises and there is drought but little rain, or in autumn and winter, the temperature is too low yet there is rainy and windy weather. These adverse weather conditions will increase the incidence of premature aging in apple trees, so we must take emergency measures for all sudden weather events.
4. Fruit thinning
A reasonable fruit thinning method is very important for apple trees. It is not that the more fruit on the tree, the better; it must be within the tree's tolerance range. If this range is exceeded, the nutrient transport of the fruit tree cannot be replenished in time, which reduces the quality of the apples and also has a great impact on flowering and fruiting the next year, causing the fruit tree to gradually lose vitality and begin premature aging.
5. Pruning
Although shaping and pruning is also one of the important tasks in managing fruit trees, it should be determined according to factors such as the growth condition and vigor of the fruit tree. You cannot prune blindly, nor prune excessively. If shaping and pruning are carried out continuously every year, there is a great chance that abnormal conditions will occur in the growth of the fruit tree. For example, the fruiting position changes, the quality of the fruit decreases, and the tree vigor gradually weakens, ultimately leading to premature aging.
6. Diseases
Failure to prevent and control pests and diseases well is also a cause of premature aging in apple trees. Fruit growers do not carry out prevention and control properly during the planting process, but only do a perfunctory, formal job. The pathogens and insect eggs in the orchard are not cleaned up thoroughly. Especially after the beginning of autumn, many people think that after the weather turns cold the pathogens will freeze to death, so prevention and control work is reduced even more. Therefore, the incidence of apples increases, harming both the fruit and the fruit trees, leading to premature aging.
The above six points are the main causes of premature aging in apple trees. To reduce the incidence of premature aging in apple trees, comprehensive control should be carried out according to the above points. Reasonable fertilization, fruit thinning and pruning, and strengthening orchard management; in fact, the most important thing is still pest and disease control, so that the other aspects can be effectively controlled. This reduces the incidence of premature aging, increases yield, and improves quality.