An orchard of guava (Psidium guayava L.) located in Aliança, SP, Brazil, had its fruits picked up at 15 to 90 days of age, in 15-day intervals. The soil was an Ultisol and the three varieties studied were: Okawa n° 2, Pedro Sato and Kumagai. The fruits were dried, weighed, grounded and analysed for all the macronutrients and for the micronutrients B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn. The highest fruit weights were obtained at 60 days of age for the Pedro Sato and Kumagai varieties, whereas the same happened at 75 days for the Okawa n° 2 variety. Fruits harvested from Pedro Sato and Kumagai plants removed more nutrients than those from Okawa n° 2 plants. The three varieties removed macronutrients in the following increasing order: Mg, Ca, P, S, N and K. Among the micronutrients, B, Zn and Fe had the highest amounts removed by fruits, whereas Cu had the lowest.
Psidium guajava L.; guava; nutrient extraction; Okawa n° 2 variety; Pedro Sato variety; Kumagai variety; fruit growth