Leaf mineral composition and noni fruit production under vegetal mulching and potassium fertilization

Abstract

In the last 10 years, there has been an increasing demand for noni products, which has aroused interest for its cultivation and commercialization in several consumer markets in Brazil. In relation to this, studies on the nutritional requirements mineral and agronomical practices for noni production have been carried out. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of potassium fertilization and soil mulching with residue of Brachiaria grass (Brachiaria decumbens (Stapf)) on the nutritional and production aspects of noni crops. The study was conducted from July 2012 to November 2013 at the Agriculture Sector of the Center for Human, Social, and Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Paraíba, Bananeiras county, Brazil. The experiment was carried out in a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement, with five potassium chloride levels of 0.0, 13.2, 37.5, 61.5, and 69.6 g per plant, applied in the soil with and without mulching using residues of B. decumbens. The fruit production and plant nutritional status with respect to P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe and Zn of noni crop were positively affected by soil mulching and KCl fertilization. The highest fruit yield was obtained in plants grown with 69.6 g of KCl per plant combined with soil mulching using B. decumbens grass residue.