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

摘要

The present study aimed to compare the use of leaf and flower analysis and to verifythe most appropriate organ for the diagnosis of the nutritional status of guava trees. The evaluationwas carried out using the CND (Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis) methodology, using yieldand nutritional contents of the leaf and flower of ‘Paluma’ guava trees in 48 plots of an irrigatedorchard. The contents of flower and leaf nutrients were submitted to variance analysis, by theTukey test at 5%, and the nutrient sufficiency ranges in organs were calculated, as well as thecorrelations between multi-nutrient variables and yield. Significant differences between contentsof nutrients in flower and leaf, as well as greater variability in the nutritional contents in leaf, wereobserved. The sufficiency ranges of flower proved to be shorter compared to leaf. The number ofcorrelations between nutrients and yield was higher in the flower. The greater sensitivity of theleaf analysis in expressing interactions between nutrients and yield indicates that this organ canalso be used for the nutritional diagnosis of guava trees.