Conventional NPK Fertilizer Rate Strategies for Improving Shoot Biomass in Pear Nursery Production

The production of pear (Pyrus communis L.) nurseries is essential to providing high-quality planting material for the establishment of a successful orchard. Thus, encouraging early vegetative growth and seedling vigor during the nursery period requires optimal fertilization. Under temperate continental circumstances in northwest Romania, this study assessed the impact of various NPK fertilizer rates on the shoot fresh weight of pear nursery trees. The study was carried out in 2025 using a factorial design with two Romanian cultivars (‘Napoca’ and ‘Monica’) and four fertilization treatments (N₀P₀K₀, N₈P₈K₈, N₁₆P₁₆K₁₆, and N₂₄P₂₄K₂₄), set up in a randomized block system with five replications. At progressively higher rates of 50, 100, and 150 kg ha⁻¹, a totally water-soluble 16–16–16 fertilizer was applied. At the conclusion of the growing season, the fresh weight of the shoots was measured. The accumulation of shoot biomass was significantly and gradually impacted by fertilization. The fresh weight of the shoots rose by 29%, 45%, and 59% as compared to the unfertilized control (0.42 kg tree⁻¹) under the treatments of N₈P₈K₈, N₁₆P₁₆K₁₆, and N₂₄P₂₄K₂₄. There were no discernible cultivar-dependent variations at any fertilization level, and both cultivars showed almost equal growth responses. These findings show how strongly the growth of pear nursery shoots depends on the availability of NPK and offer helpful advice for maximizing fertilization techniques to enhance the quality of planting materials.