Abstract
This study investigated the influence of nitrogen (N) input on the characteristics of the sink–source relationship of ‘Korla Fragrant’ pear tree to analyze how N levels regulate the sink–source relationship and affect crop yield, as well as to provide a theoretical basis for rational application of N fertilizer to increase yield. Using 6‑year-old ‘Korla Fragrant’ pear trees as experimental materials, four N application regimens were set up. The effects of different N application rates on the sink capacity, source production capacity, sink–source ratio, and yield of ‘Korla Fragrant’ pear were analyzed. The results showed that 1) the source production capacity of ‘Korla Fragrant’ pear increased with increasing N application, while the sink capacity and sink–source ratio showed a trend of first increasing, then decreasing, with increasing N application, reaching the highest level under the N2 treatment (300 N kg · hm−2), 2) under N2 treatment, the yield of ‘Korla Fragrant’ pear was the highest, and during the fruit ripening period it reached 12.63 kg · plant−1, and 3) there was a significant positive correlation between the sink–source ratio and the yield of fragrant pears during the fruit swelling and ripening periods. In conclusion, when nitrogen application was within the range of 283–356 kg · hm−2, it could not only promote normal growth of the ‘Korla Fragrant’ pear tree but also accelerate the transport of photosynthates to the fruit, which was conducive to the development and balance of the sink–source relationship of the tree and to achieving high crop yield.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to agronomist Chao Xu for his help in the field experiment and to Awat Farm in Korla City for providing the fields needed for the research. This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31960639) and Open topic of Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (2021D04005).
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X. He, X. Wang, B. Chen, Z. Ma, Z. Huang, X. Shen, and Z. Chai declare that they have no competing interests.
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For this article no studies with human participants or animals were performed by any of the authors. All studies mentioned were in accordance with the ethical standards indicated in each case.
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He, X., Wang, X., Chen, B. et al. The Influence of Nitrogen (N) Input on the Sink–Source Relationship of ‘Korla Fragrant’ Pear (Pyrus brestschneideri Rehd.Cv.). Erwerbs-Obstbau 65, 35–45 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-022-00699-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-022-00699-2