Abstract
ABSTRACT Production of ornamental pineapple plants in pots is a recent mode of growing pineapple that demands information on application of soil mineral fertilizers to compose the production system. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of five strategies of application of soil mineral fertilizer on the vegetative and reproductive growths of potted ornamental pineapple plants. The experiment was conducted under an anti-aphid screen, from June 17, 2015 to May 21, 2016, in Fortaleza, Ceará state, Brazil. A completely randomized design with six treatments and four replicates was used, consisted of four plants per plot. The treatments consisted of application of a slow-release fertilizer; conventional soil fertilizer application; fertigation at every 30, 60, and 90 days; and no soil fertilizer application (control). The plants were grown in 1 L pots and irrigated using a drip system every two days. The variables evaluated were: number of leaves; ‘D’ leaf length and width; shoot apex diameter; plant height; flowering rate; length and diameter of peduncle, syncarp, and crown; crown to syncarp ratio; and percentage of marketable plants. Despite the different plant growth, all strategies of soil fertilizer application used can be recommended for ornamental pineapple plants, since they do not hinder the esthetic quality and dimensions required for marketing these plants in pots. Pineapple production without application of soil fertilizers should be avoided, since it reduces the percentage of marketable plants.
Highlights
Ornamental pineapple is a rustic exotic plant with multiple colors and long post-harvest life (Pereira et al, 2018) that can be marketed in the sectors of cut flower, foliage, landscaping, gardening, and pot plant (Souza et al, 2012; 2014)
The highest ‘D’ leaf lengths were found in plants under application of slow-release fertilizer to the substrate and under fertigation at every 30 and 60 days, and the lowest were found in plants subjected to fertigation at every 90 days, application of conventional soil fertilizer, and in those of the control treatment
Considering the results found, all strategies of application of soil fertilizers tested in the present study can be used for growing ornamental pineapple plants in pots
Summary
Ornamental pineapple is a rustic exotic plant with multiple colors and long post-harvest life (Pereira et al, 2018) that can be marketed in the sectors of cut flower, foliage, landscaping, gardening, and pot plant (Souza et al, 2012; 2014). Erectifolius is the most economically important variety of ornamental pineapple plants (Alves et al, 2014), which is appreciated as a cut flower and has been stood out as a pot plant (Pereira et al, 2018). The available studies refer mainly to genetic (Taniguchi et al, 2015; Lima et al, 2017), nutrition (Viégas et al, 2014; Barbosa et al, 2015), and physiology (Reis et al, 2007; Mendes et al, 2011) of plants. Studies on different fertilizers are important for the choice of type and form of application, which depends on several factors, such as cost, availability, technology of application, and irrigation (Malhotra, 2016)
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