Effect of pruning intensity and doses of fertilization on content of macronutrients and hormones in leaves of rewatered citrus trees

Abstract

There are some changes in the rewatered citrus trees, among others are the content of nutrients and hormones. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of pruning and fertilization on the macronutrients and hormones contents in leaves of rewatered citrus trees. The research was conducted in a citrus orchard in Purbalingga, Central Java, Indonesia from June until October 2018. There were two observed factors, namely pruning intensity (0, 5, 10, and 15% of total number of branches each tree) and doses of fertilization (0, 2, and 4 % of weight of harvested fruits at previous season). The research used Randomized Completely Block Design and three replications. Observed variables were content of N, P, K, IAA, GA3, and C/N ratio. The result of research showed that pruning intensity of 5% gave the highest content of K and IAA, and highest C/N ratio but the lowest content of GA3. Doses of 2 % fertilization gave the highest content of IAA and the highest C/N ratio but the lowest content of GA3. High content of K and IAA, and high C/N ratio but lower content of GA3 were required to induce the flowering of citrus trees.