Abstract:
The objective of this work was to estimate the K dose necessary to obtain the maximum physical efficiency of production and the critical foliar level of the nutrient, as well as to verify the relationship of soil application of K with the nutritional balance and the incidence of Panama disease (Fusarium oxysporum) in 'Prata Anã' (AAB) banana. The experiment was conducted during four production cycles in the semiarid region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in a clayey Oxisol, with 69 mg dm-3 available K. Treatments were distributed in a randomized complete block design in a 4×4 factorial arrangement, with four K rates (0, 250, 500, and 1,000 kg ha-1 K2O per year), four production cycles and six replicates. Soil application of K did not influence banana production in the first cycle. The mean rate of K2O to achieve maximum physical efficiency of production of 'Prata Anã' in the second, third, and fourth cycles was 880 kg ha-1. The mean values of leaf concentrations of N, K, Ca, and Mg were similar between the production cycles. The mean critical foliar level of K, estimated in the three production cycles, was 28.9 g kg-1. Fertilization with K increases the production and the tolerance of 'Prata Anã' banana to the Panama disease, in soil with average content of K.
Index terms:
Fusarium oxysporum; Musa; evaluation of nutritional status; fertilizer recommendation; nutrition-induced resistance.
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