LEAF NUTRIENT STATUS AND NUTRIENT EXPORTATION OF “BAIXINHO DE SANTA AMÁLIA” PAPAYA CULTIVAR TREATED WITH BIOFERTILIZERS

Abstract

Papaya tree is a crop with expressive economic importance in Brazil, where it has been traditionally cultivated with mineral soil fertilizing, although, for the last two decades, the world market has required lower levels of synthetic products use for food production and higher levels of the natural ones. In this way, one experiment was carried out in Remígio, Paraíba State, Brazil, to evaluate the leaf nutrient status, at the beginning of the blooming stage, and the exportation of sodium, macro, and micronutrients of the “Baixinho de Santa Amália” papaya cultivar. A complete randomized blocks experimental design was used in a 2x5 factorial arrangement, referring to pure biofertilizer and biofertilizer enriched with sodium, macro, and micronutrients, under 0.0 L plant^-1; 0.5 L plant^-1; 1.0 L plant^-1; 1.5 L plant^-1; and 2.0 L plant^-1 doses, applied to soil under their liquid form. The enriched biofertilizer was more efficient, in relation to the pure one, for leaf nutrient status and nutrient exportation of papaya fruit, for all doses applied to soil. At the beginning of the blooming stage, all plants were adequately supplied with nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, boron, cooper, and zinc, but deficient in phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. The most exported nutrients were potassium, among the macronutrients, and iron, among the micronutrients.

KEY-WORDS: Carica papaya L.; biofertilizer; mineral status.