Weed Interference on the Accumulation of Dry Mass and Macronutrients of Eggplant ‘Nápoli’

L.J.P Marques,L.B Carvalho,A.B.C Filho,M.S Bianco,S Bianco,W.R Cerveira Jr

doi:10.1590/s0100-83582019370100101

L.J.P Marques, L.B Carvalho + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s0100-83582019370100101

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Abstract

ABSTRACT: The presence of weeds may affect both growth and nutrition of agricultural crops due to interference. The objective was to evaluate the interference of weeds in the dry mass distribution and in the accumulation of dry mass and macronutrients in eggplant. The treatments consisted of increasing weed-free and weedy periods (0-14, 0-28, 0-42, 0-56, 0-70, 0-84, 0-98, 0-112, 0-126, 0-140 and 0-154 days after transplanting) in eggplant ‘Nápoli’. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with three replicates. Weeds affected the distribution of dry mass between vegetative and reproductive organs of eggplant. There was a significant reduction in the accumulation of dry mass and macronutrients when weeds grew with eggplant crop beyond 42 days after transplanting, reaching the maximum reduction of 79%, 75%, 80%, 82%, 83%, 83% and 80% in the accumulation of dry mass, K, N, Ca, Mg, P and S, respectively. Therefore, the weed community significantly affects the growth and mineral nutrition of eggplant ‘Napoli’, and there should be no weed-crop coexistence beyond 28 days after seedling transplanting.

Highlights

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is a vegetable of the family Solanaceae (Weber et al, 2010), showing high economic importance for the State of São Paulo (Marques et al, 2016, 2017), in Brazil
Potassium is the nutrient found in the highest concentration in eggplant (Raigón et al, 2008), and the sequence of the most required nutrients, under nutrient solution studies, are: potassium, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur (Haag and Minami, 1998)
It was possible to observe changes in the cycle and in the potential of dry mass and macronutrient accumulation by the crop, as well as to evaluate the potential of weed interference on the growth and mineral nutrition of the eggplant maintained in coexistence with the weed community

Summary

Introduction

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is a vegetable of the family Solanaceae (Weber et al, 2010), showing high economic importance for the State of São Paulo (Marques et al, 2016, 2017), in Brazil. Eggplant is recognized for its nutraceutical benefits, being rich in nutrients with higher content of potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron (Michalojc and Buczkowska, 2008; Flores et al, 2015). Potassium is the nutrient found in the highest concentration in eggplant (Raigón et al, 2008), and the sequence of the most required nutrients, under nutrient solution studies, are: potassium, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur (Haag and Minami, 1998). The highest yields of fruits, number of fruits per plant, fruit length and height of the plant were observed with the addition of nitrogen (Moraditochaee et al, 2011). The unavailability of nutrients interferes with the concentration of various elements in plant tissues, and, as a consequence, it limits plant growth, reduces dry mass and leads to the development of symptoms of deficiency (Prado et al, 2007; Puga et al, 2010; Flores et al, 2015)

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