Diagnosis of the nutritional status of 'Paluma' guava trees using leaf and flower analysis

Abstract

The present study aimed to compare the use of leaf and flower analysis and to verify the most appropriate organ for the diagnosis of the nutritional status of guava trees. The evaluation was carried out using the CND (Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis) methodology, using yield and nutritional contents of the leaf and flower of 'Paluma' guava trees in 48 plots of an irrigated orchard. The contents of flower and leaf nutrients were submitted to variance analysis, by the Tukey test at 5%, and the nutrient sufficiency ranges in organs were calculated, as well as the correlations between multi-nutrient variables and yield. Significant differences between contents of nutrients in flower and leaf, as well as greater variability in the nutritional contents in leaf, were observed. The sufficiency ranges of flower proved to be shorter compared to leaf. The number of correlations between nutrients and yield was higher in the flower. The greater sensitivity of the leaf analysis in expressing interactions between nutrients and yield indicates that this organ can also be used for the nutritional diagnosis of guava trees.