Relationships between mineral nutrients in banana (Musa AAA Simmonds cv. Williams) bunches fertilized with nitrogen in two production cycles

Abstract

The production of bananas (Musa AAA Simmonds cv. Williams) for export in Uraba, Colombia is an important source of income for the region, reflected in the offer of approximately 40,000 jobs. Production requires research into various subjects, with fertilization being a priority. In this study, the effect of N doses on the nutrient relationships existing in a banana bunch  during two cycles was evaluated. A sixth-generation plantation was used and evaluated during the fruit filling and harvesting stages. A multivariate approach was used for the analysis of variance of the design in repeated measures, with two factors between subjects (fertilization and repetitions), and one intra-subject associated with the cycle. The models were adjusted with the phenological stages. Synergy was found between Mg:Ca+N, Zn:B, K:Cu, K:P, and Ca:Cu, with K:P and K:Cu ratios being the only ones that showed a directly proportional behavior with the production variables. Optimal values of the interaction K:Cu+K:P (35.11-39.05) led to a greater accumulation of dry mass in the bunch (4.24 kg) in the treatments of 321.8 and 483 kg N ha-1 for the evaluated stages.