&lt;b&gt;Impact of humic substances and nitrogen fertilising on the fruit quality and yield of custard apple

Marcelo Dos Santos Cunha,Adenaelson De Sousa Marques,Adriana Cristina Mancin,Ítalo Herbert Lucena Cavalcante,Francisca Gislene Albano

doi:10.4025/actasciagron.v37i2.19511

<b>Impact of humic substances and nitrogen fertilising on the fruit quality and yield of custard apple

Marcelo Dos Santos Cunha, Adenaelson De Sousa Marques + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4025/actasciagron.v37i2.19511

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Abstract

The custard apple ( Annona squamosa L.), also known as the sugar apple, is a fruit species native to Brazil that has been poorly studied, especially in relation to the effect of humic substances on its fruit quality and yield. An experiment was conducted from December 2010 to November 2011 to evaluate the fruit quality and yield of the custard apple as a function of nitrogen fertilising and the use of humic substances. The experimental design consisted of randomised blocks, with treatments distributed in a factorial arrangement (4 x 2), using four nitrogen doses (0, 100, 175 and 250 g of N plant -1 ) and two humic substance applications (with and without humic substances), with four replications. The fruit yield and fruit characteristics, such as fruit mass, titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids (SS), pulp pH and SS/TA ratio, were recorded. The humic substances and the nitrogen levels significantly affected the soluble solids, titratable acidity and SS/TA ratio, while the pH pulp was only influenced by the humic substances. The humic substances promoted a quantitative increase in the fruit yield of 0.63 ton ha -1 . The fruit quality and yield of the custard apple depend on the nitrogen fertiliser and the interaction of the humic substances. Nitrogen fertilising of 100 g per plant, associated with humic substances, could be recommended for use in the production of custard apples.

Highlights

The custard apple (Annona squamosa L.), called the sugar apple, is a small, semi-deciduous tree that is 3-7 m in height and has a broad, open crown or irregularly spreading branches
Independent of the humic substance use (Figure 2A and B), the pulp pH of the custard apple fruits increased with increasing nitrogen levels until it reached 100 g per plant, and this increase was immediately followed by decay
It is important to note that the use of humic substances reduced the pulp pH by nearly 1.94%

Summary

Introduction

The custard apple (Annona squamosa L.), called the sugar apple, is a small, semi-deciduous tree that is 3-7 m in height and has a broad, open crown or irregularly spreading branches. It is commercially grown, mainly in Brazil, India and Taiwan (PAULL; DUARTE, 2011). To achieve higher fruit yields, the soil must be fertilised generously, especially with nitrogen, which is the nutrient most required by the custard apple (PLEGUEZUELO et al, 2011; CAVALCANTE et al, 2012a).

Material and methods

Results and discussion

Conclusion