Growth, yield performance of apple trees by adding some organic treatments

This study was conducted on "Ibrahimi" apple trees during the 2021 growing season. The trees, which were planted at a 5 × 5 m size in a private apple orchard in Youssoufia city, southwest of the Baghdad Governorate, were about 5 years old when they budded on quince rootstock. Factors of study experiment included adding zeolite in four levels; zero (Z1), 1 kg.tree-1 (Z2), 2 kg.tree-1 (Z3) and 3 kg.tree-1 (Z4) and three levels of peanut shells compost, without adding (P1), addition at 250 g.tree-1 (P2) and addition at 500 g.tree-1 (P3). Replications number was three (two trees in experimental unit) designed at factorial experiment in a R. C. B. D. number of trees used was 72 trees. Experimental results showed that interaction between zeolite and peanut shells compost had a major impact, particularly when interaction treatment (Z4P3) were given 22.22 cm2, 29.82 cm, 31.92 mg.g-1 fresh weight, and 36.06 % as leaf area, increase in shoot length, leaves chlorophyll content, and leaf dry weight, respectively. Moreover, given 2.00 %, 0.430 %, 1.88 % and 97.50 mg.kg-1, as leaf N, P, K and Fe content, respectively. As for yield characteristics, it has been given 41.23 g, 4.12 cm, 25.00 kg and 11.74 % as fruit weight, fruit diameter, tree yield and T.S.S, respectively. Finally, it can be concluded from this research that adding zeolite had an important role in improving availability of soil elements and organic matter, especially when this addition was combined with peanut shells compost and this effect had a positive impact on vegetative and fruit growth characteristics of apple trees.