Abstract
Total soluble solid contents in fruit (fruit TSS), and nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) contents in leaf and fruit of ‘Shimizu-hakuto’ peach were analyzed in 23 orchards located in the south part of Okayama Prefecture during the seasons from 1997 to 1999. Significant negative correlations were obtained between fruit TSS and N contents in leaf, K contents in leaf, and N contents in fruit juice, where the correlation coefficients were −0.477, −0.677, and −0.616, respectively. The correlation coefficient between fruit TSS and leaf N contents was highest at 60 days after full bloom, and then decreased with the progression of growth season. On the other hand, the variation of correlation coefficients between fruit TSS and leaf K contents among growth seasons was small. The analysis of the relationship between annual changes of fruit TSS and nutritional status of peach trees revealed that fruit TSS increased in the trees where leaf or fruit juice N contents decreased than those in previous year.
