Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine the increase in trunk diameter and height, annual biomass accumulation and its allocation among different components in cherry trees cultivar 'Bing' on Gisela® 6 rootstock fertilized with different amounts of N, as well as calculating their N requirements for the first growing season after establishment. An experimental plot was established in Central Chile, where plants received 0, 60 or 120 kg N per ha, according to a complete randomized design. The experimental unit was a group of 9 plants and each treatment had 4 replicates. Diameter and height of three plants per replicate was measured 2 to 4 times per month, between October 2006 and April 2007. These data were analyzed using mixed linear models, including an autoregressive structure and random effects at the tree level. At the end of the growing season a destructive analysis was used to separate the different biomass components. Total N uptake ranged between 9 and 13 kg N ha-1, and no significant differences of biomass yield among treatments were detected. Biomass annual growth ranged between 700 and 1000 kg of dry matter per ha. When biomass was divided among components, significant differences in dry matter allocation were found only for fine roots. For diameter and height no significant differences between N dose treatments were found. This suggests that during the first growing season, cherry plants on dwarfing Gisela® 6 rootstock have low N demand and low N uptake efficiency.