Evaluación del desarrollo vegetativo de Rubus glaucus Benth (mora de Castilla) determinado por dos sistemas de cultivo

Abstract

This research was carried out on a 100 m2 plot, located in the San Bartolomé parish, Sigsig canton, Azuay province, Ecuador. The objective was to identify the cultivation system (conventional or semi-hydroponic) that best favors the growth and vegetative development of the Castilla blackberry, and to characterize the nutrient content in the leaves under the two systems. A two-month-old crop planted in two systems was used: a conventional cultivation in soil with edaphic fertilization and drip irrigation, and a semi-hydroponic substrate in 70% rice husk and 30% river sand with nutrient solution. With a completely randomized design and eight repetitions, stem length and width, number of leaves per stem, number of basal and secondary shoots, and foliar concentration of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S were measured. The results did not present significant differences between the number of leaves and the stem length, however, the semi-hydroponic system presented a significant growth in stem diameter, as well as the number of basal and secondary shoots per stem. On the other hand, the two systems appeared very similar nutrient concentrations at the foliar level, remaining within the recommended ranges, except for nitrogen, which is in an excessive range in the conventional system, and phosphorus, which is found in insufficient concentrations in the two systems.