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.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )