A study was conducted on different yield groups of coconut palm (West Coast Tall) to investigate the relationships among root CEC, yield and monoand divalent cations. The results showed that correlation between root CEC and yield was negative but not significant. The foliar content of (K + Na) decreased with increase in root CEC while (Ca + Mg) increased with increase in root CEC. The uptake of cations by the palm was found to be governed by their ratios in soil. Highly significant correlations were obtained between K/Na, K/(Ca + Mg) and K/Mg in soil and their corresponding ratios in the leaf. Among the nutrients studied, potassium content of soil as well as that of leaf correlated positively with yield. The critical level of K, 0.8 to 1.0 per cent, was found to hold good in coconut. The interaction between leaf nutrients showed that the leaf potassium level was affected by the combined level of (Na + Ca + Mg). The impact of this interaction on critical levels of Na, Ca and Mg is discussed. Based on this, a level of 43.8 to 47.3 me per 100 g (or 0.75 to 0.82 per cent) was suggested as 'satisfactory level' for (Na + Ca + Mg) together. The negative correlation of root CEC and positive correlation of both soil and leaf potassium with yield, indicate the role of potassium in increasing the yield of coconut.
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