Abstract

MARTINEZ, Fabio Ernesto; SARMIENTO, Jenny; FISCHER, Gerhard  and  JIMENEZ, Francisco. Deficiency symptoms of macronutrients and boron in cape gooseberry plants (Physalis peruviana L.). Agron. colomb. [online]. 2009, vol.27, n.2, pp.169-178. ISSN 0120-9965.

The lack of knowledge about the visible signs and symptoms of nutritional deficiencies does not allow timely introducing plant management corrections as to obtain vigorous, productive and qualified crops. In the present experiment, which was carried out in the city of Bogota, seed propagated cape gooseberry plants of the Colombia ecotype were kept under plastic greenhouse conditions in 25 L plastic containers filled with quartz sand, for 135 days. Mineral deficiencies were induced through nutrient solutions treated with the missing element technique, and arrayed in a completely randomized design with five replications and eight treatments, which were: T0. complete fertilization control treatment; T1. complete fertilization without nitrogen (-N); T2. complete fertilization -P; T3. -K; T4. -Ca; T5. -Mg; T6. -B, and T7. tap water. Only in the case of nitrogen, 15% of full N fertilization was applied. Apparent symptoms were visually described and photographed every 2 weeks. Plants with N, K or B deficiencies expressed the most severe symptoms, including negative effects on plant size and architecture, and serious tissular affections. Those plants suffering from P, Ca or Mg deficiency showed distortions in leaf color. In the particular case of P, a purple color in the leaves of the generative shoots and the vegetative stem was observed. Foliar intervein chlorosis and orange colorations were respectively induced by Mg and Ca deficiencies.

Keywords : nutrient solution; photographic record; chlorosis; necrosis; hypoplastic symptom.

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