Efficiency of boron application in an Oxisol cultivated with banana in the Central Amazon

Abstract

In the Amazon region, there is no information on the fertilization of banana plants with boron (B). Besides this, the extractant (hot water) currently used to test B concentrations has many limitations. The aim of this work was to study the effect of B on the fruit yield and quality of banana plants of the Cavendish (AAA) sub-group, grown in dystrophic Yellow Latosol (Oxisol or Xanthic Ferralsol), in the Amazonas State, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized split plot in a 4 × 2 factorial scheme, composed of four B rates (0, 4, 8 and 12 kg ha −1 ) and two harvest cycles (sub-treatments), with four replicates. The B availability in the soil was determined by three extractants: Mehlich 3, hot water and KCl 1.0 mol L −1 . The application of B influences the fruit yield, pulp/peel ratio, pulp resistance and B content in the leaves and fruits. The KCl 1.0 mol L −1 extractant was similar to the hot water in the evaluation of available B. To obtain maximum yield, it is necessary to apply 4.1 and 6.1 kg ha −1 of B in the first and second cycles, respectively.

Nutrição mineral e qualidade do fruto de algumas frutíferas tropicais: goiabeira, mangueira,bananeira e mamoeiro

“…Avaliaram-se as doses: (0; 4; 8 e 12 kg ha −1 ), considerando-se dois ciclos de colheita. O B influenciou o rendimento de frutos, a relação polpa/casca e a resistência do fruto à penetração (MOREIRA et al, 2010). Na Tabela 4, é apresentado um resumo dos principais efeitos dos elementos minerais sobre a qualidade dos frutos da bananeira.…”

Nutritional value of banana inflorescences, study about transfer mechanisms of iron across the placenta, and new cytogenetic studies of Lippia (Verbenaceae) species from Brazil

“…Originally from Africa and Asia, this group of flowering plants has a worldwide distribution nowadays. The most important genus is Musa, popularly known as banana, and is cultivated in numerous countries (Kennedy 2009), albeit productivity can vary enormously (e.g., Moreira et al 2010). It is still not quite clear how many species are referable to this genus, but some estimate that there are more than 70 species (Häkkinen and Väre 2008).…”