Pineapple yield and fruit quality effected by NPK fertilization in a tropical soil

Abstract

There is a lack of information about fertilization of pineapple grown in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. So a field experiment with pineapple 'Smooth Cayenne' was carried out to study the effects of NPK rates on yield and fruit quality. The trial was located on an Alfisol in the central part of the State of São Paulo (Agudos county). The experimental design was an incomplete NPK factorial, with 32 treatments set up in two blocks. The P was applied only at planting, at the rates of 0; 80; 160 and 320 kg/ha of P2 0(5), as superphosphate. The N and K2O rates were 0; 175; 350, and 700 kg/ha, applied as urea and potassium chloride, respectively, divided in four applications during the growth period. Response functions were adjusted to yield or to fruit characteristics in order to estimate the nutrient rates required to reach maximum values. The results showed quadratic effects of N and K on yield and a maximum of 72 t/ha of fresh fruit was attained with rates of 498 and 394 kg/ha, respectively of N and K2O. In order to reach the maximum fruit size, and to improve the percentage of first class fruit (mass greater than 2.6 kg), were necessary rates of N and K respectively 11 and 43 % higher than those for maximum yield. No effect of P rates was observed on pineapple plant growth, despite the low availability of this nutrient in the soil. The effect of N rates was negative on total soluble solids and total acidity while the opposite occurred with K, which increased also the content of vitamin C. High yield and fruit size were closely related to N and K concentrations in the leaves.

Potassium fertilization for pineapple: effects on soil chemical properties and plant nutrition

“…Fertilizers were surface applied, close to the plant base, on an area of maximum root activity, according to the following application schedule: 10%, 30%, 30%, and 30% of the total rate, respectively 1, 5, 7, and 9 months after planting. These optimal N, P, and K rates and fertilizers splitting schedule were determined in recent trials conducted with pineapple in the same region by Spironello et al (2004) and Teixeira et al (2002).…”

“…Potassium is the foremost nutrient required for pineapple crop and the lack of this nutrient reduces plant growth, fruit yield and affects negatively fruit quality as pointed out by Lacoeuilhe (1978 and Spironello et al (2004). Therefore, potassium fertilization plays an important role to pineapple yield, but high rates of potassium chloride, the most common and cheapest source of this nutrient, can negatively affect fruit size and some internal fruit characteristics, as compared with potassium sulphate (LACOEUILHE, 1978).…”

Qualidade sensorial dos frutos do abacaxizeiro 'imperial' cultivado em deficiência de macronutrientes e de boro

“…Estes aumentos também foram observados por Spironello et al, (2004) (2000). Deficiências de N e S reduzem a síntese de aminoácidos e, consequentemente, a de proteínas, promovendo maior disponibilidade de fotoassimilados para serem usados na síntese de compostos do metabolismo secundário, como, por exemplo, ácido ascórbico; ocorre, também, acumulação de outros ácidos orgânicos, principalmente os do ciclo dos ácidos tricarboxílicos (MARSCHNER, 1995).…”

“…Alguns trabalhos sobre nutrição mineral e a qualidade dos frutos foram realizados com as cultivares Smooth Cayenne (SPIRONELLO et al, 2004;PAULA et al, 1999), Pérola (VELOSO et al, 2001), MD-2 (MARTINS et al,2008) e Queen Vitória (BHUGALOO et al, 1999) e na cv. Gandul (RAZZAQUE;RANAFI, 2001).…”

Urea concentration on vegetative development and nutrition of Cactaceae epiphytic species

“…The hemiepiphytic cactus Hylocerus undatus presented 25 g N/kg in joints (Nobel & Barrera, 2004) , the long-distance transport within the plant between K + and NO 3 -, and absorption and partitioning of K in plant which can be altered by the form of applied N (Bar Tal, 2011), as the authors also observed in Mulder interaction diagram, modified by Malavolta (1980); however, the authors did not observe an increase of Mg contents, as a trend indicated in the diagram. The decrease of concentration of K and P in pineapple was due to a dilution effect promoted by high concentration of urea which triggered a rapid and vigorous vegetative growth, which also seem to be occurring in epiphytic cacti (Spironello et al, 2004). The highest P content in joints was 7.7 g/kg at dose of 33.3 mM N in Rhipsalis baccifera, whereas for R. paradoxa and H. salicornioides the contents decreased with an increase of urea in HA solution.…”