Nutritional diagnosis of mango plants post-harvest in anticipation of pre-flowering avoids nutritional stress

Abstract

ABSTRACT The São Francisco Valley region of Brazil is a leading exporter of mango fruits. Previous nutritional diagnosis can identify stresses, provide adjustments for nutritional limitations, and promote more efficient fertilization and nutrient management. This study aimed to compare the nutritional diagnosis of mango trees in the post-harvest and pre-flowering phases and to correlate them with productivity. Norms and indices of the Integrated System of Diagnosis and Recommendation (DRIS), as well as the Nutritional Balance Index and the Potential of Response to Fertilization were generated for each phenological phase of the mango trees. Optimal concentrations and ranges of nutrients were established, classified as deficient, balanced, or excessive, and subsequently compared to each other and to values recommended in the literature. The indices were correlated with the productivity of the orchards in each phenological phase of the mango trees. When comparing the DRIS norms of post-harvest and pre-flowering phenological phases, 55% of the averages differed. The sufficiency ranges of the post-harvest and pre-flowering phases were generally different from those referenced in the literature. Nutritional diagnoses for P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, and Cl altered between phenological phases. The nutritional diagnosis performed in the post-harvest phase showed that nutritional imbalance affected productivity.