Diagnosis of soil fertility and banana crop nutrition in the state of Santa Catarina

Abstract

Soil fertility and nutritional imbalance are among the main limitations in banana production. The present study aimed to diagnose soil fertility and nutrition of bananas trees cultivated in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Leaf and soil samples were collected, and banana yield was quantified in 2018 and 2019 in 53 orchards in the regions of ‘Vale do Itajaí’ and northern coast of Santa Catarina. Although orchards had satisfactory yield (42 t /ha/year), limitations related to soil fertility and banana crop nutrition were evident. The observed yield is 59.6 % of its full potential. Liming is still recurrent, mainly before orchard establishment. Fertilizer application is widespread, but in many cases, doses are overestimated. Ca, Zn, Cu, and B contents increased in leaves emitted in periods of higher soil water availability and higher temperatures. The results highlight the influence of weather conditions on the supply of these nutrients to banana plants. Nutritional factors are the main limiting factors in banana production in the state of Santa Catarina, compared to non-nutritional factors.

Establishment of DRIS and CND Standards for Fertigated ‘Prata’ Banana in the Northeast, Brazil

“…The mean fruit yield of 'Prata' banana (36,131 kg ha −1 ) in the database (n = 867) used to establish the nutritional standards is approximately twice as high as the national average, which is 14,754 kg ha −1 (FAOSTAT 2021), indicating that the database contemplated a wide variation of yield. This is an indication that the data used to establish nutritional standards are adequate, since they include high-yield orchards (Nachtigall and Dechen 2007), a condition that is only achieved with orchard adequate management practices, among which the indispensable nutritional balance (Deus et al 2018;Guimarães and Deus 2021).…”

“…In the last 6 decades (1961 to 2019), the world average yield increased from 10.7 to 22.6 t ha −1 , while the Brazilian average remained stagnant around 15 t ha −1 (Deus et al 2020;FAOSTAT 2021). Studies indicate that, nutritional imbalance is the main cause of low yields in the banana orchards of Brazil and that there is great potential to increase this yield, rebalancing the supply of nutrients (Deus et al 2018;Guimarães and Deus 2021).…”

Nutrient reference values for ‘BRS Platina’ banana in improved fertility soils

“…Despite this, the average yield of this crop is low, 14.6 t ha -1 . This is associated with the cultivated genotypes, nutritional (Guimarães;Deus, 2021) and non-nutritional problems, and biotic, climatic and management factors Neves;Donato, 2021).…”