Nutritional status, production and fruit quality of west indian cherry fertigated with nitrogen and humic substance

Dayanne Do Nascimento Dias,Augusto Miguel Nascimento Lima,Karla Dos Santos Melo De Sousa,Jailson Cavalcante Cunha,Ítalo Herbert Lucena Cavalcante,Laura Paula Araújo Dos Santos

doi:10.1590/0100-29452020254

Dayanne Do Nascimento Dias, Augusto Miguel Nascimento Lima + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0100-29452020254

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Abstract

Abstract Information on humic substances (HS) associated with nitrogen fertilization in West Indian cherry is scarce in the literature. The use of soil conditioners, such as HS, can increase the efficiency in the absorption of nutrients, especially N. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate, in two production cycles, the fruit quality, yield and nutritional status of West Indian cherry as a function of fertigation with nitrogen (N) and HS in Petrolina-PE, Brazil. The experimental design was in split plots, with treatments distributed in 5 x 2 strips, referring to N doses (50, 75, 100, 125 and 150% of the recommended dose) and HS application (without and with), respectively, with 4 replicates and 3 plants per plot. The N source used was urea (45% N) and the HS source used was the commercial product KS100 (Omnia®), from leonardite, monthly applied at dose of 6 g plant-1. Production, yield, indices of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll, and leaf contents of N, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn were determined. Fruits were evaluated for: pH, vitamin C, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA) and SS/TA ratio. Except for leaf N content, which increased linearly with the applied doses, the leaf contents of nutrients, production and yield of West Indian cherry showed a stochastic pattern as a function of the increase in N availability and HS application. West Indian cherry plants cultivated and fertilized according to the recommendation for the crop did not respond to the evaluated treatments. Application of humic substances and N doses did not alter the post-harvest quality of West Indian cherry fruits.

Highlights

West Indian cherry (Malpighia emarginata) is a tropical climate plant with broad economic and nutritional potential, mainly due to the high vitamin C content present in its fruits
Except for leaf N content, which increased linearly with the applied doses, the leaf contents of nutrients, production and yield of West Indian cherry showed a stochastic pattern as a function of the increase in N availability and humic substances (HS) application
Application of humic substances and N doses did not alter the post-harvest quality of West Indian cherry fruits

Summary

Introduction

West Indian cherry (Malpighia emarginata) is a tropical climate plant with broad economic and nutritional potential, mainly due to the high vitamin C content present in its fruits. West Indian cherry production can be influenced by several factors such as soil, climate, fertilization and irrigation management practices, which will directly affect plant performance in the field and, fruit yield and quality (FRANZÃO; MELO, 2003). According to Ferreira (2014), as it has production capacity of up to six crops per year, West Indian cherry is demanding in terms of nutrients, mainly nitrogen (N) and potassium (K), both in the initial growth and development stage and in the production stage. Nitrogen fertilization is very important, as this nutrient influences plant growth, and its deficiency will directly affect fruit development and production (MIRANDA et al, 2015). Excess N, on the other hand, is harmful because it stimulates excessive vegetative development of the plant, with effects on fruit quality and especially on the incidence of physiological disorders (ERNANI et al, 2008)

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