Par ticao de nutrientes e eficiencia nutricional da mangueira cv. Palmer em funcao da idade das plantas no Vale do Sao Francisco, Brazil

Knowing the accumulation of nutrients in mango plants is essential for calibrating fertilization programs aiming to increase yield in nutritionally unbalanced orchards. The work aimed to evaluate mango nutritional efficiency through nutrient accumulation and partitioning in plants of Palmer cultivar grown in sand soils at Sao Francisco Valley, Northwest Brazil. Commercial orchards located in Bahia and Pernambuco States, Brazil, under semi-arid climate (BShw; 400-800 mm annual rainfall) had the vegetable biomass and nutrient contents in the mango compartments determined in 1, 2, 4, 7, and 12 years old plants, by evaluating four plants of each age from 20 sample units. The separated samples of the harvested trees originated the compartments roots, stems, thick twigs, thin twigs, leaves and fruits. Nutrient contents and plant dry matter per compartment were determined and plant nutrient accumulation evaluated. Biomass and fruits macronutrients in the mango plants over the years, with superiority for N and K, for which there was a sharp increase as compared to the other macronutrients. Manganese and Fe were the most accumulated micronutrients in the plants over the years. The canopy of the mango Palmer plants is the compartment that accumulates more macro and micronutrients, and the partition within the canopy occurs in the sequence: leaf> thin twig> thick twig. Phosphorus and Mg, and Cu and B are the nutrients more efficient to generate plant biomass and fruit production in the mango Palmer orchards.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional efficiency of mango plants of Palmer cultivar grown in sand soils at Sao Francisco Valley, Northwest Brazil. Macronutrients N and K showed the highest increase over the years, while micronutrients Mn and Fe accumulated the most in the plants. The canopy of the mango Palmer plants was found to be the compartment that accumulated the most macro and micronutrients.