Plant development and nutrient uptake rate in Dendrobium nobile Lindl

Abstract

Dendrobium nobile Lindl. is one of the most cultivated and distributed orchids around the world; however, information on its nutrition is scarce. Our objective was to study the plant development and nutrient accumulation in plants of D. nobile weekly fertilized with 100 mL Sarruge nutrient solution at 75% concentration. One plant per replication was randomly collected every month, along 12 months, totaling four plants. Dry matter (DM) and nutrient accumulation were determined for the different plant parts. Plants had already accumulated nearly 50% of total DM up to the flowering stage (240 days after first fertilization, DAFF). Order and amount of accumulated nutrients, at 360 DAFF, was, in mg per plant: K (701.07) > N (339.44) > Ca (289.03) > Mg (135.44) > P (118.83) > S (23.56); in µg per plant, it was Fe (14,122.35) > Zn (5,277.82) > Mn (3,216.87) > B (1,253.02) > Cu (271.25).