Crescimento, nutrição mineral e nível crítico foliar de K em mudas de umbuzeiro, em função da adubação potássica

Abstract

The umbuzeiro (Spondias tuberosa Arr. Cam.) is original of the Northeast of Brazil and it is characterized by tolerance to the drought. The growth, the mineral nutrition and the foliar critical level of potassium in umbuzeiro seedlings, grown in distroferric Red Latosol, in function of potassium doses, were evaluated in this experiment. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications and six doses of potassium (0, 30, 60, 120, 240 and 480, mg dm-3). The potassium fertilization was accomplished in four applications, and the used sources were potassium sulfate and the potassium chloride. The highest production of leaves occurred in the dose of 137 mg dm-3 of potassium and the highest production of roots at the dose of 229 mg dm-3 of potassium. The foliar contents of potassium in the umbuzeiro seedlings increased with the potassium fertilization. The critical level of potassium in the leaves of the umbuzeiro seedlings ranged from 3.40 to 6.04 g kg-1.