Abstract
Production and commercialization of tropical flowers and plants has grown in recent years, mainly due to the increasing value of these products in temperate climate countries, such as heliconia, one of the most cultivated tropical ornamental plants in Brazil. This study was developed to determine the effect of lime applications on the nutrients in heliconia plants (Heliconia psittacorum L. × Heliconia sparthocircinata Arist. [cv. Golden Torch]) cultivated in yellow latosol in a greenhouse. The macronutrient levels in the leaves, pseudostem and roots of the heliconia plants were determined after cultivating the plants in containers with a medium texture, yellow latosol, collected from the 0 to 20 cm layer and submitted to doses of 0, 0.9, 2.6, 4.2 and 5.9 t of lime ha-1. Nitrogen and phosphorous performed better in the absence of the correction and in the 0.9 t ha-1 dose for the vegetative parts of the heliconia plants. The application of dolomitic lime promoted greater absorption of potassium, calcium and magnesium, and sulfur performed better for the doses 2.6 and 5.9 t of lime ha-1, for the pseudostem and roots, respectively.
Highlights
Heliconia psittacorum × H. spathocircinata Aristeguieta is an herbaceous plant that forms clumps and has an underground rhizome
The soil used in the experiment was a medium texture, yellow latosol
The nutrient levels in the heliconia plant parts were modified by lime applied to the soil (Table 1)
Summary
Heliconia psittacorum × H. spathocircinata Aristeguieta is an herbaceous plant that forms clumps and has an underground rhizome. It has an erect, terminal inflorescence with four to eight orangish-yellow bracts and yellowish flowers. Among Heliconia cultivars, Golden Torch is notable for being productive and flowering throughout the year and is the most commercialized cultivar in the world (Castro & Gonçalves, 2007) This cultivar tolerates acidic soils (a pH between 4.5 and 6.5 is adequate for cultivation) and nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, iron and manganese are the nutrients it demands the most (Lamas, 2004). Fertilizing is one of the factors that most influences production, quality and resistance to diseases, studies about the effect of soil fertility are still scarce for this cultivar (Cerqueira et al, 2008; Castro et al, 2015)
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