Abstract

Shade cloth or netting for reducing incident light is used commonly in apple (Malus domestica (Suckow) Borkh.) orchards. However, this technology generates physiological and nutritional changes in plants that can require modifications in the management of commercial orchards. To contribute to the knowledge of nutritional changes in apple ‘Fuji’ leaves using shade cloths, a research was conducted in a commercial orchard in south-central Chile during three seasons. Two treatments (control without shade cloth and 30 % shade cloth cover) were evaluated with three replicates in a split-split plot design. Results showed changes in leaf nutritional concentrations in each season and among seasons. The use of shade cloth increased leaf concentrations of N, Mg, S, Mn, and Na. Results also suggest that reference concentrations for N, Mg, S, Mn, and Na nutrients for nutritional status analysis (between 16 and 20 wk after bud break) in the normal harvest period of apple ‘Fuji’ samples in orchards managed with shade cloth should be 2.09 %–2.24 % for N, 0.20 %-0.25 % for Mg, 0.12 %-0.15 % for S, 130−320 mg kg−1 for Mn, and 83−221 mg kg−1 for Na. In conclusion, the nutritional concentration in leaves of apple tree orchard is partially affected by the shade cloth use.