Biomass accumulation and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) as a function of NPK fertilization.

Pejibaye or peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is being cultivated in many countries for heart-of-palm or palmito. The estimated area of pejibaye cultivation in Brazil is over 12,000 hectares. Large amounts of nutrients are exported during harvest, and fast and constant growth is imperative for economic large-scale cultivation; hence, replacement of nutrients, based on adequate fertilization, is essential. It is known that unbalanced fertilization can cause nutritional problems in palms, impairing growth and yield. In order to identify responses of pejibaye to NPK fertilization, a long-term trial is being carried out in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The experimental design is an (1/2) 43 incomplete factorial, with 32 treatments, with four yearly rates of N (0-400 kg N ha), P (0-200 kg P2O5 ha) and K (0-200 kg K2O ha), split into five applications. Data collected from five-year old plants showed that shoot and root biomass varied with NPK fertilizer rates, as did root arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization. A significant and positive linear effect of N was detected for shoot biomass, whereas for mycorrhizal colonization a quadratic N effect was found. Quadratic effects of P for root biomass and shoot/root biomass were detected. Potassium produced significant negative effects on mycorrhizal colonization and shoot/root ratio, and positive effects on root biomass; a quadratic effect of K was detected on offshoot number. Nutrient interactions were only significant for mycorrhizal colonization (P*K) and for shoot biomass (N*K). Significant positive correlation coefficients were found for AM colonization with root biomass and soil organic matter, while negative correlations were found with soil pH and magnesium content. Root biomass was negatively correlated with soil pH, base saturation, calcium and magnesium. The importance of a balanced combination of macronutrients for the overall growth of pejibaye plants was emphasized.

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