Abstract
ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effects of doses of nitrogen fertilizer in association with types of basal dressing fertilizers on the physiological characteristics of beet cultivar Early Wonder in a protected environment. The experiment was conducted in safe environment at the Federal University of Campina Grande, using a randomized block design with three replications and a 5x3 factorial scheme, in five doses of nitrogen (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg dm-3) applied through fertigation, and three types of basal dressing fertilizers (unfertilized soil, earthworm humus and earthworm humus + NPK). At 45 and 90 days after transplanting (DAT), it was determined the chlorophylls a, b, total chlorophylls, carotenoids and SPAD index. Organo-mineral fertilizer (earthworm humus + NPK) provides greater efficiency for the photosynthetic pigments when compared with organic fertilizer (earthworm humus) and without fertilization (control).The increase of nitrogen dose up to 200 mg dm-3 is the one which contributes most to the increment of chloroplastid pigments. Nutrients were absorbed by the plants and the humus and humus + NPK treatments supplied the nutritional demands during the beet cultivation cycle.
Highlights
The beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is an olive with a tuberous root, originated in Europe, and a member of Chenopodiaceae family (Filgueira, 2008)
Fertile and chemical properties of earthworm humus analysis used in the experiment are shown in the table 2 below: Treatments were combined as the following: five doses of nitrogen fertilizers applied through fertigation (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg of nitrogen per dm-3 of soil) and three types of basal dressing fertilizers: soil without fertilization, soil fertilized with organic earthworm humus, and soil fertilized with earthworm + NPK using urea 45%, single superphosphate (18% P2O5, 16% Ca and 8% S), and potassium chloride (60% K2O)
An overview of variance analysis for chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophylls, carotenoids, and SPAD index of beet, due to nitrogen doses applied through fertigation and with the types of basal dressing fertilizers, at 45 and 90 days after transplanting (DAT) are shown, respectively, in the tables 3 and 4 below: Individual effects of the types of basal dressing fertilizers and nitrogen doses applied through fertigation presented significant effect when using the F-test at 1% level of probability for all the variables of beet that were evaluated at 45 and 90 DAT (Tables 3 and 4)
Summary
The beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is an olive with a tuberous root, originated in Europe, and a member of Chenopodiaceae family (Filgueira, 2008). According to Sediyama et al (2011), this vegetable is earning space and economical importance in Brazil, being one of the ten main vegetable produced in the country. It has a high nutritional value sticking out among tuberous roots for its nutritional composition, which is rich in sugar, antioxidants, betacarotene, B-complex vitamins, and some nutrients as potassium, sodium, iron, copper, and zinc (Trani et al 2013). The storage of hypocotyl-radicle axis and the upper portion of the primary root swell and have their composition and development influenced by the nitrogen fertilization (Filgueira, 2008). Nitrogen either applied as mineral or organic fertilizer is considered an important component for plants, being one of the crucial compounds for growth, development and yield of plants, since it is constituent of chlorophyll, nitrogenous bases of the nucleotides, amino acids, proteins and compounds of secondary metabolism (Taiz & Zeiger, 2013)
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