Services on Demand
Journal
Article
Indicators
Cited by SciELO
Access statistics
Related links
Cited by Google
Similars in SciELO
Similars in Google
Share
Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Hortícolas
Print version ISSN 2011-2173
Abstract
DUSSAN, SINDY LORENA; VILLEGAS, DANIEL ANDRÉS and MIRANDA, DIEGO. Effect of N, P, K, Mg, Ca and B deficiencies on the accumulation and distribution of dry mass in guava plants (Psidium guajava L.) var. Palmira ICA II in the nursery phase. rev.colomb.cienc.hortic. [online]. 2016, vol.10, n.1, pp.40-52. ISSN 2011-2173. https://doi.org/10.17584/rcch.2016v10i1.4277.
Guava is native to the tropical Americas and stands out as a fruit with a high vitamin content; however, it is a crop with little research or technical assistance, especially in terms of nutrition and fertilization. In greenhouse, three-month-old guava plants, variety ICA Palmira II, were subjected to fertilizer treatments using the missing element technique. The following treatments were used: T0: water; T1: complete fertilization; T2: complete -N; T3: -P; T4: -K; T5: -Mg; T6: -Ca and T7: -B. The plants were planted in soil with washed river sand and gravel in black polyethylene bags (5 L capacity); the application of the treatments was done manually, with daily watering with the nutrient solutions at a volume of 250 cm3 per bag. The changes in the height, number of leaves, leaf area and dry matter accumulation by the plant structures were determined. We found that the -N treatment, as compared to the complete fertilization, affected the number of leaves and dry matter accumulation by the structures of the plant (root, stem, leaves and total). N was the most limiting element in the vegetative phase of the young guava plants (first 8 months of development). The deficiency in phosphorus (-P) caused reductions in the plant leaf area (-20%), as compared to the complete fertilization treatment; the (-K) treatment reduced the leaf area only by 8%; a 5.4 % reduction was seen in (-B). The calcium deficiency (-Ca ) caused the lowest accumulation of root dry mass; this response was associated with the relationship of this nutrient with the auxin activity in the roots.
Keywords : dry mass; leaf number; missing element; leaf area.