Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil

Magnesium (Mg) deficiency is becoming a limiting factor for citrus production in acid soils of subtropical and tropical zones. It is speculated that soil Mg leaching and thereby its imbalance may be a major cause of yield decline, yet Mg deficiency in citrus receives little attention. A two-year fie...

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Main Authors: Yuheng Wang, Furong Kang, Bo Yu, Quan Long, Huaye Xiong, Jiawei Xie, Dong Li, Xiaojun Shi, Prakash Lakshmanan, Yueqiang Zhang, Fusuo Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-09-01
Series:Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311924004349
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author Yuheng Wang
Furong Kang
Bo Yu
Quan Long
Huaye Xiong
Jiawei Xie
Dong Li
Xiaojun Shi
Prakash Lakshmanan
Yueqiang Zhang
Fusuo Zhang
author_facet Yuheng Wang
Furong Kang
Bo Yu
Quan Long
Huaye Xiong
Jiawei Xie
Dong Li
Xiaojun Shi
Prakash Lakshmanan
Yueqiang Zhang
Fusuo Zhang
author_sort Yuheng Wang
collection DOAJ
description Magnesium (Mg) deficiency is becoming a limiting factor for citrus production in acid soils of subtropical and tropical zones. It is speculated that soil Mg leaching and thereby its imbalance may be a major cause of yield decline, yet Mg deficiency in citrus receives little attention. A two-year field experiment was therefore conducted to quantify soil Mg leaching in a typical citrus orchard in China fertilized with varying levels of Mg (Mg0, no Mg fertilizer; Mg45, 45 kg MgO ha–1 yr–1; Mg90, 90 kg MgO ha–1 yr–1; Mg180, 180 kg MgO ha–1 yr–1). Results showed that Mg application significantly increased citrus fruit yield by 4.1–16.4% compared with where MgO was not added. The average amount of soil Mg leaching was 65.7 kg ha–1 yr–1 where no Mg fertilizer was added, while it reached up to 91.3 kg Mg ha–1 yr–1 where MgO was added at the rate of 180 kg ha–1. Over the 4 treatments, Mg leaching accounted for 12.1–42.4% of the applied Mg fertilizer. Mg leaching and its removal through harvested fruits resulted in an orchard soil Mg balance of –69.9, –51.1, –27.4 and 10.9 kg ha–1 in the Mg0, Mg45, Mg90 and Mg180, treatments, respectively. The pH values of leachate from the acid soil were alkaline and it contained higher amounts of calcium and potassium than that of Mg. Considering the high leaching of Mg from the acid soils of citrus orchards, applications of Mg fertilizer or Mg-fortified soil conditioner are vital to sustain soil Mg balance, high fruit yield and fruit quality in citrus production systems in humid subtropical regions.
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spelling doaj-art-a50e38d97186481eab880ffc0649ab352025-08-21T04:16:43ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Journal of Integrative Agriculture2095-31192025-09-012493641365510.1016/j.jia.2024.12.025Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soilYuheng Wang0Furong Kang1Bo Yu2Quan Long3Huaye Xiong4Jiawei Xie5Dong Li6Xiaojun Shi7Prakash Lakshmanan8Yueqiang Zhang9Fusuo Zhang10College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; Agricultural Technology Research and Service Center of Changshou District, Chongqing 401220, ChinaSichuan Dan Orange Morden Fruit Industry Co., Ltd., Meishan 620200, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100196, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; State Cultivation Base of Eco-agriculture for Southwest Mountainous Land, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; National Monitoring Station of Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Efficiency on Purple Soils, Chongqing 400716, ChinaInterdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; Sugarcane Research Institute/Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China; Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4066, AustraliaCollege of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; State Cultivation Base of Eco-agriculture for Southwest Mountainous Land, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; National Monitoring Station of Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Efficiency on Purple Soils, Chongqing 400716, China; Correspondence Yueqiang ZhangInterdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100196, ChinaMagnesium (Mg) deficiency is becoming a limiting factor for citrus production in acid soils of subtropical and tropical zones. It is speculated that soil Mg leaching and thereby its imbalance may be a major cause of yield decline, yet Mg deficiency in citrus receives little attention. A two-year field experiment was therefore conducted to quantify soil Mg leaching in a typical citrus orchard in China fertilized with varying levels of Mg (Mg0, no Mg fertilizer; Mg45, 45 kg MgO ha–1 yr–1; Mg90, 90 kg MgO ha–1 yr–1; Mg180, 180 kg MgO ha–1 yr–1). Results showed that Mg application significantly increased citrus fruit yield by 4.1–16.4% compared with where MgO was not added. The average amount of soil Mg leaching was 65.7 kg ha–1 yr–1 where no Mg fertilizer was added, while it reached up to 91.3 kg Mg ha–1 yr–1 where MgO was added at the rate of 180 kg ha–1. Over the 4 treatments, Mg leaching accounted for 12.1–42.4% of the applied Mg fertilizer. Mg leaching and its removal through harvested fruits resulted in an orchard soil Mg balance of –69.9, –51.1, –27.4 and 10.9 kg ha–1 in the Mg0, Mg45, Mg90 and Mg180, treatments, respectively. The pH values of leachate from the acid soil were alkaline and it contained higher amounts of calcium and potassium than that of Mg. Considering the high leaching of Mg from the acid soils of citrus orchards, applications of Mg fertilizer or Mg-fortified soil conditioner are vital to sustain soil Mg balance, high fruit yield and fruit quality in citrus production systems in humid subtropical regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311924004349magnesiumleachingsoil nutrient balancecitrusyield
spellingShingle Yuheng Wang
Furong Kang
Bo Yu
Quan Long
Huaye Xiong
Jiawei Xie
Dong Li
Xiaojun Shi
Prakash Lakshmanan
Yueqiang Zhang
Fusuo Zhang
Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil
Journal of Integrative Agriculture
magnesium
leaching
soil nutrient balance
citrus
yield
title Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil
title_full Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil
title_fullStr Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil
title_full_unstemmed Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil
title_short Magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield, fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil
title_sort magnesium supply is vital for improving fruit yield fruit quality and magnesium balance in citrus orchards with increasingly acidic soil
topic magnesium
leaching
soil nutrient balance
citrus
yield
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311924004349
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