Micronutrient and sodium foliar contents of yellow passion plants as a function of biofertilizers

Abstract

Introduction. Mineral status related to micronutrients and sodium is important to obtain high yields, despite the fact that no standardized contents have been established for yel- low passion fruit. Biofertilizers have emerged as an important component of the integrated nutrient supply system aiming at an environmentally better nutrient supply because they have a direct action on micronutrient uptake. In this context, the objective of our research was to eva- luate the micronutrient and sodium foliar contents of yellow passion fruit plants fertilized with two different biofertilizers in Brazil. Materials and methods. A randomized block design with treatments distributed in a factorial arrangement (2 × 5) referring to two biofertilizers (simple and enriched with Zn, Mg, Mn, Cu, Co, Fe, Ca, B and Mo) and five doses of each biofertilizer ((0.0, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8 and 2.4) L·plant -1 ) was adopted. Results of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc and sodium foliar contents were submitted to variance analysis, the Tukey test and regres- sion analysis. Results and discussion. The results indicate that enriched biofertilizer promoted the statistically highest foliar contents of all elements. The biofertilizer doses applied had dif- ferent effects on foliar contents of the elements studied. Conclusion. Micronutrient and sodium foliar contents of yellow passion fruit were affected by both the type and doses of biofertilizers. Simple biofertilizer promoted optimum supplies of boron and iron, while enriched biofertilizer supplied boron, iron, manganese and zinc. Brazil / Passiflora edulis / fertilizer application / biofertilizers / mineral content / leaves / tissue analysis