Concentration and temporal variability of nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc in pecan leaves

Abstract

Information about the local response to fertilization in pecan trees is very limited. Here, we investigated the effects of fertilization with different levels of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) on the chemical composition of leaves of pecan trees of the ‘Stuart’ cultivar. Fertilization had a positive impact on foliar N concentration, a negative impact on foliar P concentration, and no effect on foliar Zn concentration. A negative linear relationship was found between foliar N concentration in fall and protein content in the embryo.