Nutrient Removal, Fertilization Needs and Yields of Protea Plants Cultivated in Subtropical Conditions

A study of nutrient removal was carried out in commercial protea plantations of each of the cultivars 'Scarlett Ribbon,' 'High Gold,' 'Veldfire,' and 'Sunrise' of Leucospermum cordifolium, and of the species L. patersonii,located in a subtropical region (La Pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of plant nutrition 2008-05, Vol.31 (4-6), p.1018-1032
Main Authors: Fernndez-Falcon, M, Alvarez, C.E, Hernandez, M.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
appearance (quality)
crop quality
crop yield
cultivars
cut flowers
fertilization
fertilizer rates
fertilizer requirements
floriculture crops
harvest date
Leucospermum
Leucospermum cordifolium
Leucospermum patersonii
nitrogen
NPK fertilizers
nutrient removal
nutrient uptake
phosphorus
potassium
Protea
subtropics
yield
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Summary:A study of nutrient removal was carried out in commercial protea plantations of each of the cultivars 'Scarlett Ribbon,' 'High Gold,' 'Veldfire,' and 'Sunrise' of Leucospermum cordifolium, and of the species L. patersonii,located in a subtropical region (La Palma, Canarian Archipelago). Flowering stems of optimal commercial quality were taken from each of the mentioned cultivars and species, once a year (2003 and 2004) at harvest time (January to April), and the different organs were analyzed separately. Flowering stems of the cultivars 'High Gold' and 'Veldfire' presented the highest contents of most studied nutrients, whereas the opposite was observed in 'Scarlett Ribbon' and L. patersonii. Mean yields of flowering stems varied very much among cultivars, and the highest ones were those of 'High Gold' and 'Scarlett Ribbon'. The cultivar 'High Gold' removed the highest quantities of studied nutrients, and the contrary was observed in L. patersonii for most of them. Suitable rates of nitrogen (N): phosphorus (P): potassium (K) fertilizers for nutrient restitution purposes were 1:0.08:0.40 for 'Scarlett Ribbon,' 1:0.08:0.66 for 'High Gold,' 1:0.08:0.38 for 'Veldfire,' 1:0.09:0.75 for L. patersonii;and 1:0.18:1.11 for 'Sunrise'.
ISSN:0190-4167
1532-4087
DOI:10.1080/01904160802097300