Seasonal uptake of macro elements by young bearing "Sensation" mango trees.
Vuuren B. P. H. J. van, Stassen P. J. C.
Author Affiliation: Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Private bag X11208, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa.
: 167-174
Abstract : The requirement for P, K, Ca and Mg in fruits, leaves, roots, bark and other parts of mango trees was investigated. Young bearing mango cv. Sensation trees in sand culture were regularly irrigated with a balanced nutrient solution, and were sampled monthly. The samples were divided into mature leaves, new leaves, new growth, fruits (edible portion and seed), bark, wood and roots. The concentrations and the absolute quantities of the different elements were determined. Two-year-old trees had high K and Ca (7-8 g/tree), and lower amounts of P (2.25 g) and Mg (1.7 g). P occurred mainly in the roots, wood and bark. Ca and K were concentrated in the leaves and fruits, respectively. K was also concentrated in roots, leaves and bark. Mg occurred mainly in the roots and leaves. Fruits with an average mass of 350 g (dry mass 75 g) contained ~0.064, 0.46, 0.21 and 0.11 g of P, K, Ca and Mg, respectively.