Plant and Soil Science

Effect of foliar nutrition on the content of organic compounds in apple fruits (Malus domestica Borkh.)

Liudmyla Shevchuk, Vladyslav Tonkha
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Abstract

The article presents the results of a study on the effect of foliar application of calcium-containing products HelpRost Ca, Brexil Ca and Avangard Ca on the accumulation of soluble solids, sugars, titratable acids and total phenolics in the fruits of apple cultivars ‘Ligol’, ‘Jonagold Early Queen’ and ‘Fuji’. The cultivar ‘Fuji’ showed the highest responsiveness to treatments, where the application of Brexil Ca (2.0 kg/ha) and Avangard (6.0 L/ha) increased the soluble solids content to 16.5-16.7% (compared with 14.6% in the control) and sugars to 13.6-13.7%. In the ‘Ligol’ cultivar, the highest sugar content (9.7-9.8%) was recorded following the application of HelpRost Ca (3.0 L/ha) and Brexil Ca (2.0 kg/ha). The ‘Jonagold’ cultivar responded positively to HelpRost Ca (3.0 L/ha), with an increase in sugar content of 0.4%. A cultivar-specific dynamics of titratable acids was identified. In ‘Ligol’, all treatments increased the content of titratable acids, whereas in ‘Fuji’ a decrease to 0.42% was observed. The highest sugar-acid ratio (32) was recorded in ‘Fuji’ under the maximum rates of Brexil Ca and Avangard. The highest antioxidant activity was also observed in ‘Fuji’, where the maximum total phenolic content reached 227 mg/100 g following treatment with Avangard (6.0 L/ha). For ‘Ligol’, Brexil Ca proved to be the most effective (155 mg/100 g), whereas in ‘Jonagold’ no statistically significant difference from the control was found for this parameter. The practical value of the results lies in enabling a scientifically grounded selection of calcium foliar treatments and application rates for different apple cultivars

Keywords

calcium-containing preparations; sugars; titratable acidity; carbohydrates; polyphenols

Suggested citation
Shevchuk, L., & Tonkha, V. (2026). Effect of foliar nutrition on the content of organic compounds in apple fruits (Malus domestica Borkh.). Plant and Soil Science, 17(2), 54-64. https://doi.org/10.31548/plant2.2026.54
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