Effects of different organic and conventional fertilisers on flavour related quality attributes of cv. Golden Delicious apples

- Effects of organic/conventional fertilisation on apple flavour were investigated.
- Significant effects were observed on some aroma volatiles, acids and sugars.
- However, only few of the observed effects were across two harvest years.
- Different organic fertilisers weakly affected the considered flavour attributes.
- Sensory differences emerged between apples with similar chemical profile.

The effects of the application of different organic and conventional fertilisers on some flavour quality attributes (aroma volatiles, sugars and organic acids) of cv. Golden Delicious apples were investigated by an experimental field trial in two harvest years (2010 and 2012). Through a balanced randomised block design, five organic fertilisation treatments (three different fertilisers at the same nitrogen dose, increase and fractionation of dose for one of the fertiliser) were compared to each other, to a conventional treatment based on a mineral fertiliser and to a non-fertilised control.Fertilisation treatments significantly affected the level in fruits of several flavour related compounds, such as some aroma volatiles, sugars and organic acids, but few of these responses were consistent across the two harvest years and of remarkable size. Even when treatments gave place to marked differences in the soil mineral nitrogen level, this reflected in a limited impact on flavour related compounds in the fruit, the strongest effect being a 45% change in C6-aldehydes level. The different organic fertilisation treatments weakly affected the considered fruit quality attributes. Significant differences were observed for several sensory attributes between apples coming from different fertilisation treatments and characterised by a quite similar chemical profile.