Consequences of iron deficiency on fruit quality in citrus and stawberry

Proceedings of the International Conference “Environmentally friendly and safe technologies for quality of fruit and vegetables”, held in Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal, on January 14-16, 2009. This Conference was a join activity with COST Action 924.Iron deficiency (iron chlorosis) is an important nutritional disorder in several plants, including fruit trees and strawberry. Iron chlorosis does not result from a small level of iron in soils but rather from impaired acquisition and use of this metal by plants. Calcium carbonate, present in great amounts in calcareous soils, and the resulting large levels of bicarbonate ions, are the main causes of iron deficiency. Countries in southern Europe, such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece, have large areas of calcareous soils with established orchards, where iron chlorosis is a major factor that limits yield and profit for the farmer. Iron chlorosis affects several metabolic processes and leads to nutrient imbalances in sensitive plants. Decreased yield and poor quality of fruit resulting from the iron deficiency justify the development of methods to diagnose and correct this disorder. No single approach has been found to solve iron chlorosis satisfactorily, making it one of the most complex nutritional deficiencies known. In this chapter we describe some aspects of the effects of iron availability on quality of strawberry and citrus fruit