Potassium fertilizer applied by different methods in the zucchini crop

Abstract

Aiming to evaluate the effect of potassium (K) doses applied by the conventional method and fertigation in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), a field experiment was conducted in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. The statistical design was a randomized block, with four replicates, in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme, which corresponded to four doses of K (0, 75, 150 and 300 kg K2O ha-1) and two fertilization methods (conventional and fertigation). The analyzed variables were: fruit mass (FM), number of fruits (NF), fruit length (FL), fruit diameter (FD), pulp thickness (PT), soluble solids (SS), yield (Y), water use efficiency (WUE) and potassium use efficiency (KUE), besides an economic analysis using the net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and payback period (PP). K doses influenced FM, FD, PT and Y, which increased linearly, with the highest value estimated at 36,828 kg ha-1 for the highest K dose (300 kg K2O ha-1). This dose was also responsible for the largest WUE, 92 kg ha-1 mm-1. KUE showed quadratic behavior and the dose of 174 kg K2O ha-1 led to its maximum value (87.41 kg ha-1 (kg K2O ha-1)-1). All treatments were economically viable, and the most profitable months were May, April, December and November.

Coffee Dryer With Dehydrated Air: A Technical and Economic Viability Analysis

“…The economic viability was based on the evaluation of four economic indicators applied to the drying cash flow in the concrete yard and to the drying cash flow in the DU for the analytical comparison (Fernandes et al, 2016;Ávila et al, 2017).…”

“…The current literature does not show drying coffee in DUs as economically viable. An economic evaluation of a project implementation through the analysis of economic indicators, such as discounted payback (PBD), internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV) and return on investment (ROI), is the most commonly used indicator in the literature (Fernandes et al, 2016;Ávila et al, 2017).…”

Response of Squash to Deficit Irrigation and Potassium Fertilization Under Solar – Powered Drip Irrigation

“…Generally, the main aim of RDI is to increase WUE via either decreasing the amount of irrigation water of the number of irrigations (Kirda, 2002). Attention should also be considered to potassium fertilization (K) when cultivating vegetable crops since it is the most absorbed micronutrients by most of these crops (Fernandes et al, 2016). Fertilization plays an important role in the absorption of macronutrients in various plant organs and formation of the yield.…”