Fertilizer Recommendation System for Melon Based on Nutritional Balance

Abstract

Melon is one of the most demanding cucurbits regarding fertilization, requiring knowledge of soils, crop nutritional requirements, time of application, and nutrient use efficiency for proper fertilization. Developing support systems for decision-making for fertilization that considers these variables in nutrient requirement and supply is necessary. The objective of this study was parameterization of a fertilizer recommendation system for melon (Ferticalc-melon) based on nutritional balance. To estimate fertilizer recommendation, the system considers the requirement subsystem (REQ), which includes the demand for nutrients by the plant, and the supply subsystem (SUP), which corresponds to the supply of nutrients through the soil and irrigation water. After determining the REQtotal and SUPtotal, the system calculates the nutrient balances for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, recommending fertilizer application if the balance is negative (SUP < REQ), but not if the balance is positive or zero (SUP ≥ REQ). Simulations were made for different melon types (Yellow, Cantaloupe, Galia and Piel-de-sapo), with expected yield of 45 t ha -1 . The system estimated that Galia type was the least demanding in P, while Piel-de-sapo was the most demanding. Cantaloupe was the least demanding for N and Ca, while the Yellow type required less K, Mg, and S. As compared to other fertilizer recommendation methods adopted in Brazil, the Ferticalc system was

Modeling in the Adjustment of Fertilization Recommendation through Leaf Analysis in Fertigated ‘Prata’ Banana

“…Such overestimation of K rates was also observed in FERTCALC ® -Abacaxi (Silva et al, 2009), and the authors attributed it to possible luxury consumption of K and consequent overestimation of the recovery rate of the nutrient applied through fertilizer to the plant, which would be contributing to an increasing K requirement. Lack of information and the use of average values of CUB and the nutrient recovery rate by the plant, without considering the influence of soil, climatic, biological, plant, and management factors, have been highlighted by various authors (Oliveira et al, 2005;Santos et al, 2008; Rev Bras Cienc Solo 2018;42:e0170372 Silva et al, 2009;Deus et al, 2015) as research problems to be studied to generate information that will improve and adjust future versions of the FERTICALC ® model. Table for Banana Fertilization in the state of Ceará (Fernandes, 1993), it is necessary to highlight some limitations to their use because currently the data of yield, cultivars, spacing, management, etc.…”

“…Another aspect to highlight is that the Tables of Recommendation usually present rates that do not vary continuously with the expected yield and the nutrient content in the soil. In addition, they do not consider soil buffering capacity, have geographic restriction, and are not very flexible regarding the cultivar, management system, and planting density (Oliveira et al, 2005;Santos et al, 2008;Silva et al, 2009;Deus et al, 2015); they do not lend themselves to adjustments and, therefore, have low future prospects. In addition, they do not contemplate all nutrients, as in the present case of Ca and Mg.…”

“…To improve recommendation tables, researchers have developed nutritional balance models that estimate the nutrient application rate based on plant nutritional requirements, yield, and nutrient supply by the soil and other sources for eucalyptus (Barros et al, 1995), banana (Oliveira et al, 2005), soybean (Santos et al, 2008), pineapple (Silva et al, 2009), coconut (Rosa et al, 2011), ornamental plants (Alvarez V. et al, 2014), melon (Deus et al, 2015), and carrot (Dezordi et al, 2015). The advantages of nutritional balance models include the ease of incorporating new research results, which contributes to evolution and improvement of the recommendations.…”

Viability of seedling image analysis (Vigor-S) to determine the physiological potential of melon seeds

“…Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a vegetable crop of food and nutritional importance whose cultivation is growing worldwide (Medeiros et al, 2015). In Brazil, this fruit vegetable stands out in the semi-arid of the Northeast region (Barros et al, 2019;Deus et al, 2015), and most of its production is exported to the European market (Bessa et al, 2018).…”

Spatial variability in fertigated coffee yields and plant nutrients in soil saturation extracts

“…Thus, the fertility, structure and biological activity of the soil can be modified by any changes to the soil, which can in turn affect production processes (Stefanoski et al 2013) and crop yields. Therefore, strong yields require the monitoring of soil fertility and nutrient availability and consequent soil corrections (Deus et al, 2015).…”