Characterization of soil chemical properties of strawberry fields using principal component analysis

Gláucia Oliveira Islabão,Luís Carlos Timm,Marília Alves Brito Pinto,Ledemar Carlos Vahl,Lisiane Priscila Roldão Selau

doi:10.1590/s0100-06832013000100017

Gláucia Oliveira Islabão, Luís Carlos Timm + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s0100-06832013000100017

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Abstract

One of the largest strawberry-producing municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is Turuçu, in the South of the State. The strawberry production system adopted by farmers is similar to that used in other regions in Brazil and in the world. The main difference is related to the soil management, which can change the soil chemical properties during the strawberry cycle. This study had the objective of assessing the spatial and temporal distribution of soil fertility parameters using principal component analysis (PCA). Soil sampling was based on topography, dividing the field in three thirds: upper, middle and lower. From each of these thirds, five soil samples were randomly collected in the 0-0.20 m layer, to form a composite sample for each third. Four samples were taken during the strawberry cycle and the following properties were determined: soil organic matter (OM), soil total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), exchangeable calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), soil pH (pH), cation exchange capacity (CEC) at pH 7.0, soil base (V%) and soil aluminum saturation(m%). No spatial variation was observed for any of the studied soil fertility parameters in the strawberry fields and temporal variation was only detected for available K. Phosphorus and K contents were always high or very high from the beginning of the strawberry cycle, while pH values ranged from very low to very high. Principal component analysis allowed the clustering of all strawberry fields based on variables related to soil acidity and organic matter content.

Highlights

The world production of strawberries is approximately 4.2 million tons per year, and the United States, Turkey, Spain, Korea, and Egypt are the leading producers (FAO, 2011)
Turkey manure and mineral fertilizers are commonly used to fertilize the beds before planting the seedlings and fertigation is applied during the rest of the strawberry cycle
The county of Turuçu is located in the transition between the geomorphological units Shield and Coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul (Tagliani, 2002)

Summary

Introduction

The world production of strawberries is approximately 4.2 million tons per year, and the United States, Turkey, Spain, Korea, and Egypt are the leading producers (FAO, 2011). The strawberry production in Brazil is 133,000 tons,mainly in the States of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul (Portal do Agronegócio, 2011). One of the main centers of strawberry production in Rio Grande do Sul is Turuçu, a county in the southern region of the State. Turkey manure and mineral fertilizers are commonly used to fertilize the beds before planting the seedlings and fertigation is applied during the rest of the strawberry cycle. Despite the low use efficiency of nutrients from fertilizers by the plants, the applied rates exceed the crop requirement by far. Such high fertilizer rates can lead to the accumulation of soluble nutrients in the soil

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