effects of ammonium nitrate and iron on quality and antioxidant properties of apple cv. gala

production of high quality with high shelf life of apple fruits, is of great importance. present study investigates the effects of ammonium nitrate and iron on quality and antioxidant properties of apple fruit cultivar gala in a randomized complete block design. foliar application of iron chelate in three levels (0, 5 and 10 mg/l) and soil nutrition of ammonium nitrate in three levels as strip (0, 40 and 60 mg/kg per tree), were applied. results showed that using iron and ammonium nitrate had a significant effect (p≤0.01) on fruit quality. according to these results, using ammonium nitrate increased total antioxidant activity and total phenolic compounds. with increasing iron concentrations, total antioxidant activity increased, but it reduced the amount of total phenolic compounds. application of iron decreased total acidity and increased fruit flavor index. according to results, treatments had no significant effect on tss and color indices. this study showed that balanced nitrogen and iron fertilization could increase the quality and antioxidant contents of apple cv. gala.