TITLE:
Mango Tree Response to Lime Applied during the Production Phase
AUTHORS:
Eliozeas Vicente de Almeida, Francisco Maximino Fernandes, Renato de Mello Prado, Aparecida Conceicao Boliani, Luiz de Souza Correa
KEYWORDS:
Mangifera indica L.; Productivity; Soil Acidity; Savannah
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Soil Science,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
22,
2012
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–1; MgO: 130 g kg–1) 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.