Department of Fruit Culture and Orchard Management, Regional Horticultural Research Station, Bajaura, Kullu 175 125 (HP)
Long term effect of seven orchard soil management practices, viz., mulching with black polythene, sod culture with red clover, white clover, lucerne and lolium, mulching with hay and clean cultivation on mineral nutrition and root growth of apple cv. Red Delicious was studied. The highest per cent leaf N and P were observed with red clover and leaf K was observed with white clover. The lowest per cent leaf N was observed with lolium and P and K were observed with clean cultivation. The highest available soil N was observed with white clover. The lowest available NPK contents of soil were observed with clean cultivation. At 15 and 45 cm depth, the highest root length was observed with black alkathene and at 30 cm, it was with lolium grass. However, lolium grass had the lowest root length at 15 and 45 cm depth. Root length at 1, 1.5 and 2.0 m horizontal distance from tree trunk was the highest with black alkathene and the lowest with lucerne.
