Mango Tree Response to Lime Applied during the Production Phase

Abstract

Tropical soils are usually highly acidic and this may hamper mango trees nutrition and production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of lime doses applied to the soil surface on the plant nutritional status, the production, and the technological quality of mango fruits. The study was carried out at Selviria, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in a Typic Haplustox. Thirteen year old producing mango plants of the "Heden" variety, grafted on rootstock of the "Coquinho" variety, were used in this experiment. Lime doses of 0, 1.55, 3.10, 4.655, and 6.20 t·ha -1 were applied to the soil. Each treatment was replicated 4 times and the experimental units distributed according to a randomized complete block design. Lime (CaO: 390 g·kg ) was superficially applied to the soil and then incorporated at depths between 0 and 5 cm in the total area of the orchard. The soil chemical characteristics pH, Ca, Mg, K, sum of bases, and bases saturation, in the 0 -20 cm layer, were evaluated 16 and 28 months after soil liming. Plant nutritional status was evaluated 12 months after soil liming. Fruit production and technological quality were evaluated during the cropping years of 2006 and 2007. Soil liming had a positive effect on the evaluated soil chemical characteristics and this improved plant nutritional status and fruit technological quality as well as increased fruit production. These beneficial effects though were observed only in the second year after soil liming. The highest fruit production was verified when soil bases saturation was of 72% and the contents of Ca and Mg were of 32 and 8 g·kg -1 , respectively.

Liming in Growing Mango Cultivar Keitt in Production

“…There was no effect on the availability of K (F = 0.81 ns). These results confirm the benefits of liming, highlighting the increase in pH, Ca, and Mg, and the consequent base saturation increase and toxic aluminum neutralization, which agree with other studies of corrective material surface application on the ground in guava orchards (Corrêa 2004) and mango (Araújo, Salviano, and Coelho Filho 2009;Almeida et al 2012).…”

“…These nutrients in all treatments were not below the level considered appropriate, according to Quaggio, Raij, and Piza (1997) (Ca = 20-35; Mg = 2.5 to 5.0 g kg −1 ). This foliar increase of Ca and Mg aimed at liming is in correspondence with those observed by Natale et al (2007) in the cultivation of guava and Almeida et al (2012) in mango cultivar Haden.…”

“…Mango Keitt variety proves to be more sensitive to the application of doses of limestone, inasmuch as in the present research there was a linear increase in the productivity of growing fruits, whereas in the work of Almeida et al (2012), with the cultivar Haden, there was an increase in productivity with a quadratic fit, obtaining more production with the application of 4.6 t ha −1 of limestone.…”

“…This statement can be confirmed by the evaluation of the second year (2008 vintage), where the use of limestone promoted an increase with increasing linear adjustment in the number of fruits per plant (Figure 3a), and it is reflected in the productivity of the fruit (Figure 3b), which also has increasing linear fit. The effects of liming on the increased productivity of fruitful are reported in several species such as guava (Natale et al 2007), passion fruit (Prado et al 2004), and mango (cultivar Haden) (Almeida et al 2012).…”

“…In this context, Almeida et al (2012), evaluating the application of a dose on calcareous Typic Haplustox soil cultivated with mango Haden, verified that liming improved the soil chemical properties, reflected in the nutritional status, productivity, and quality of mango fruits. In another study, they investigated the effects of liming on the chemical properties of a Xanthic Ferralsol at different depths dedicated to the cultivation of mango (Araújo, Salviano, and Coelho Filho 2009).…”