Zinc Levels in Massachusetts Orchards 



Leaf samples were obtained in several Massachusetts orchards in 

 1965 and again in other orchards in 1966 to determine zinc levels. 

 Since Stiles indicated that manganese also might be critically low in 

 Maine orchards--35 Mcintosh leaf samples in 1964 averaged 6.4 ppm man- 

 ganese--the level of this element also was determined. The data for 

 the zinc and manganese levels in Mcintosh trees sampled in Massachusetts 

 are shown below. 



Table 1. Zinc and manganese levels of Mcintosh apple trees in several 

 Massachusetts orchards. 



Orchard 



No. of trees 

 sampled 



Zinc 



Mn. 



1 

 2 

 3 



5 

 6 

 7 

 8 

 9 

 10 



12 



5 

 4 

 4 

 5 

 6 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 40 



1965 



Average 



15.0 



53.8 



1966 



11 

 12 

 13 

 14 

 15 

 16 

 17 

 18 

 19 



5 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 20 



Average 



12.4 



49.9 



1 



Leaves from each tree constituted a sample 



It can be noted in Table 1, that the average zinc levels of the 

 Mcintosh leaf samples in 1965 and 1966 were 15.0 and 12.4 ppm, respec- 

 tively, which are higher than those reported by Stiles in Maine. The 

 lowest zinc level found in any individual tree was 10 ppm in 1965 and 

 7 ppm in 1966. Zinc levels as low as 1.4 ppm have been reported in 

 Maine . 



