Evaluation of Nutritional Status of Lime Orchards in Hormozgan Province of Iran using Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis Method

Knowing the trees nutritional status is necessary for achieving balanced fertilization in orchards. One approach for determining the nutritional status of orchards is the compositional nutrient diagnosis method. In the present research this method was performed to evaluate the nutritional status of three important areas of lime cultivation in Hormozgan province, south of Iran, during 2014 and 2015. Comparison between the obtained results and standard nutrient concentrations in lime revealed that nitrogen, potassium, and manganese deficiency were the most limiting factors for lime production in Hormozgan lime orchards. Moreover, excess phosphorus, chlorine, iron, and boron showed negative effect on the fruit yield of lime. The optimum concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and chlorine in the lime leaves in the studied orchards for achieving 150 kg fruit per tree were 2.88, 0.28, 1.31, 0.27% and those of iron, manganese, zinc, copper and boron were 222.26, 11.57, 4.63, 6.67, and 222.80 mg/kg DW, respectively. Therefore, it is recommended that using nutrients such as nitrogen, manganese and potassium must be given a priority in these orchards. Furthermore, some approaches like leaching fraction and supplying N-NO3 fertilizers should be utilized to mitigate the negative effects of boron and chlorine on the plant growth and yield.