Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer ISSN:0367-6315(Print) 2288-2162(Online) 한국토양비료학회 학회지

Farmers who participate in the public benefit direct payment system must comply with the guide of standard fertilizer use. Despite of an extension (more than 100 ha) of Silkworm thorn (Cudrania tricuspidata) production in Jeollanam-do province, the information on the standard fertilization is absent. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the standard fertilization guide for silkworm thorn, and to do this, we firstly investigated farmer’s fertilizer use, soil chemical properties and plant (leaves and fruit) nutrient contents from Silkworm thorn farm fields (n = 34) in 2021. The average fertilizer use was N-P₂O₅-K₂O = 267-89-102 kg ha^-1, and the nitrogen content of Silkworm thorn fruit occupied 7.5% of nitrogen fertilizer applied. As a result of correlation analysis, mineral nutrients of leaves and fruits were not dependent upon the amount of fertilization. By contrast, soil pH, EC, NO₃-N, exchangeable K, organic matter were positively correlated with them. In particular, fruit nitrogen content greatly depended on soil organic matter. In conclusion, mineral uptake of silkworm thorn was greater affected by soil chemical parameters rather than the amount of fertilization, and thus, it is suggested to develop soil diagnosis-based fertilizer recommendation of silkworm thorn.

Relationship between soil organic matter and nitrogen content of the Silkworm Thorn (Cudrania tricuspidata) fruit (n = 34).