The effect of different nutritional regimes on quality of nursery meyer plants produced in soilless conditions.

Orchard establishment with healthy nursery plants is a core element for sustainable fruit production and plays vital role in farmers' and country's agricultural economy. In order to establish a healthy plant nursery, it should have been following properties; true type, vigorously growing, trouble-free rootstock–scion combinations and they should be free from diseases and pests. The basic technique can be applied for disease and pest free nursery plant production systems where plant root and soil connection have separated. For this purpose, citrus nursery plants are produced in containers. The most important reason for nursery plant production in containers is having protected from soil borne diseases via disconnecting plant roots to soil. However, for vigorously grown and attractive nursery plant production, nurserymen usually promote soil penetration of roots from the containers. When the roots completely disconnected from soil followings occur; as roots reaches the base of the container, they trundle and coil, growth fades, plant looks weakened and farmers usually do not prefer them. Hence, in this study, soil born disease and pest free citrus nursery plant production is planned through air-pruned production technique. Using different plant nutrition applications to plants growing with this technique, straight rooted (uncoiled) and vigorously grown nursery plants that are able to compete with those grown with soil penetrated roots have been produced. In this study, the effects of soilless plant nutrition applications with individual or combined mycorrhiza and microbial fertilizers on morphological and biochemical quality parameters of air-pruned nursery plants have been examined in a comparative fashion with standard citrus nursery plant production. The study was carried on in Akdeniz University, Agricultural Faculty greenhouses. Meyer lemon grafted on the Carrizo rootstock has been used as plant material. The reasons behind the selection of these rootstock and cultivar as follows; in search of alternative rootstock to sour orange due to its sensitivity to "Citrus Tristeza Virus", Carrizo rootstock had stand out as closest performed rootstock to sour orange and it has got a wide area of usage in the region. The reasons for the preference of Meyer lemon, as follows; earliness, high yield without alternate bearing, resistance to Mal secco disease and frost (compared to other lemons) and increase in popularity in recent years due to these properties. Following balanced ions; , 6.5-7.5 meq/l NO3ֿ, 1-1.5 /l H2 PO4ֿ, 2-3.5 meq/l SO4--, 1.0 meq/l NH4+, 3.25-3.75 meq/l K+, 3-5.5 meq/l Ca++, 1.25-2.0 meq/l Mg++ have been used with necessary seasonal adjustment during soilless nutrition management applied to the experimental plants. Microbial nutrient applied directly on plant roots (150 cc/plant) used in experiment is consist of a mixture of bacteria species (Baciullus subtilis, Baciullus. megaterium ve Lactococus spp.) developed and supplied by Yeditepe University, Engineering and Architecture Faculty department of Genetic and Bioengineering. Total of 50 g/plant that correspond to 500 spores/plant Mycorrhizae mixture (Glomus spp: G.mosseae, G.etunicatium, G.clarium, G.intraradices, G.caledonium, G.macrocarpium, G.margarita, G.fasciculatum) prepared by Çukurova University, Agricultural Faculty, Department of Soil Science has been applied to each grafted Carrizo seedlings. In addition to these treatments, bacterial nutrient has been applied into some of the Mycorrhizae treated plant pots to test and compare combined effect on them. Random parcel experimental design is planned with three replications having 5 plants per replication. Peat moss and pumice with 3:1 ratio, respectively have been used as planting medium. Measurements have been started with grafting (June) and ended at the end of the growing season (October-November). The parameters have been studied are including; plant height, rootstock-scion diameters, leaf area, fresh and dry weights of leaves, stem and roots, plant nutrient analysis, numbers of mycorrhizae around root, rate (%) of root mycorrhizae infection, total numbers of bacteria in soil and determination of bacterial root infection. Results showed that fertigation application to plants in both plastic tubes and air pruning pots were found to be more successful compared to those were grown in farmer conditions. Mycorrhizae application had further elevated this success. Microbial fertilizer application, on the other was not as successful as in Mycorrhizae. Evaluations suggests that besides plant growth, mycorrhizae had increased chlorophyll content, root and leaf mineral content, specifically N, P and Mn while it has caused a decrease in Cu that has a fungisit properties. These results suggest that there is a linear ratio (positive relation) between mycorrhizae colonization and nutrient uptake. Mycorrhizae application has been substantially increased some growth and development parameters such as shoot dry mass application and mineral nutrient content.