"Grápia" (Apuleia leiocarpa Vog. Macbride) is an important salive forest specie that lias been is extinction process. use abu of this study was to determine the optimum leveIs ai nitrogen, phosphonts, and potassium fertilization on the initial growth of grdpia. Grdpia plants were cultivated is pots containing 3,5kg of a Paleudalfsoil, under glasshouse condiuíons. Twenty-seven fertilization treat,nenhs were used is a complete tr~factorial scheme (3x3x3), represented by the combination of three leveis (0, 40, and 8Omg kg') ofN, ei P, and ofIC 77w plant growth is height, stem diameter, and number of leaves were analyzed monthly. After 140 days o! cultivation other growth parameters were analyzed, as follow: dry weight of roots, stem, leaves, and o! the whole plant, rool/shoot dty weight ratio, and length of lhe root system. Phosphorus fertilization bscreases all evaluated growth parameters. and the highest raspasse, except for the length of the root .system, occurred above SOmg kg'. Potassiwn fertilization at doses greater dias 6Omg kg' positivély affects several growth parameters, except for the root/shoot dry weight ratio, root dry matter, and lhe 51cm diameter. 77w beneficial effectfrom lhe nitrogen fertiliration, as for the length of the root system, number of leaves, plant height, and lhe dry weight of leaves, and of the whole pIas:, depend os lhe addition of K. Young plants o! grdpia growin: is a Paleudalf soil show high response to P and moderate response to K and N.
grdpia; mineral nutrition; fertilization; Apuleia leiocarpa; NPK; growth
