Abstract

MARTINEZ, Fabio Ernesto; SARMIENTO, Jenny; FISCHER, Gerhard  and  JIMENEZ, Francisco. Effect of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and B deficiency on production and quality components of cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.). Agron. colomb. [online]. 2008, vol.26, n.3, pp.389-398. ISSN 0120-9965.

The cape gooseberry is the second largest export fruit from Colombia but little information exists about how deficient nutrition affects production and quality of fruits. Seed propagated cape gooseberry plants were kept in 25 L plastic containers filled with quartz sand, under plastic greenhouse conditions, during 135 days in the city of Bogotá. Through nutrient solutions, nutrient deficiencies were applied using the missing element technique in a completely randomized design with 8 treatments and 5 replicates: 1. the control treatment with complete fertilization; 2. complete fertilization -N; 3. -P; 4. -K; 5. -Ca; 6. -Mg; 7. -B, and 8. only tap water. The production variables such as diameter, fresh and dry weight, number of fruits, yield, and calyx dry mass were evaluated. For fruit quality the variables total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acids (TTA), and pH were evaluated. The treatment without B negatively affected the production variables: diameter, fresh and dry weight of fruit and calyx dry mass. Plants with N and K deficiencies had considerably reduced fresh and dry weight of fruits. In comparison with the control all other treatments had diminished fruit quantity and yield per plant. The treatments deficient in B, N and K decreased the amount of fruits and yield by 90%, and in the treatment -P fruit and yield decreased by more 50%. Fruit TSS content was reduced in plants with B deficiency, whereas TTA concentration increased in plants with P deficiencies, compared with those of -Ca.

Keywords : nutrient deficiencies; fruit weight; soluble solids; titratable acids; pH.

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