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Supplementation of Potassium and Phosphorus Nutrients to Young Trees Reduced Rind Thickness and Improved Sweetness in ‘Kinnow’ Mandarin Fruit

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Abstract

Young ‘Kinnow’ mandarin orchards have inferior fruit quality in terms of thick rind, less juice and low eating quality. The present research experiment was aimed at evaluating the effect of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) nutrients on rind and fruit quality at different harvesting times. Young trees (6 years old) were supplied with fertilizers containing P (P2O5 = 552 g and 828 g) and K (K2O = 600 g and 900 g) nutrients at the fruit set stage. For yield and physical quality assessment, fruits were harvested at commercial maturity (second harvest). Trees showed maximum yield in terms of fruit number and weight subjected to K2O (600 g). Rind thickness was promisingly reduced by soil amendment of K2O- 600 g followed by K2O- 900 g as compared to control trees. Biochemical, phytochemical and sensory attributes were assessed at three times of harvest. Soluble solids content and sugar acid ratio of fruit were positively increased in K‑treated trees followed by those subjected to P nutrient and gradually increased as harvesting time was prolonged. Among phytochemicals, K2O- 600 g showed higher DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity and P2O5- 552 g application increased the total phenolics content of fruit, but declined at third harvest. Sensory properties (taste, flavor, aroma and texture) were improved in all treatments except control. Conclusively, the results revealed that the optimum range of fertilizers containing K and P nutrients can increase the productivity of young trees and improve the fruit quality of ‘Kinnow’ mandarin.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to the Endowment Fund Secretariat, UAF for awarding a 3-year technology transfer grant for improving the quality of ‘Kinnow’ mandarin fruit and reducing farmgate rejection.

Author Contribution

M.U. Hasan contributed in methodology, formal analysis, data curation, and writing–original draft, writing–review and editing. A.U. Malik, B.A. Saleem, R. Anwar contributed in conceptualization, methodology, visualization, review and editing, funding acquisition, project administration, resources and supervision. S. Khalid, A.S. Khan, and M. Nasir contributed in review and editing, and improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postharvest Research and Training Centre, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, 38040, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Mahmood Ul Hasan, Aman Ullah Malik, Raheel Anwar & Ahmad Sattar Khan

  2. Department of Agriculture Lahore, Horticulture Extension Wing, Punjab, Pakistan

    Basharat Ali Saleem

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Punjab, Pakistan

    Samina Khalid

  4. Horticultural Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Maryam Nasir

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  1. Mahmood Ul Hasan
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Correspondence to Aman Ullah Malik.

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M.U. Hasan, A.U. Malik, B.A. Saleem, R. Anwar, S. Khalid, A.S. Khan and M. Nasir declare that they have no competing interests.

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10341_2023_869_MOESM1_ESM.docx

Supplementary Table 1: Soil nutrient profile of young ‘Kinnow’ orchard before application of nutrient fertilizers at three different soil depths.

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Hasan, M.U., Malik, A.U., Saleem, B.A. et al. Supplementation of Potassium and Phosphorus Nutrients to Young Trees Reduced Rind Thickness and Improved Sweetness in ‘Kinnow’ Mandarin Fruit. Erwerbs-Obstbau 65, 1657–1666 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-023-00869-w

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