Water-Retaining Agent as a Sustainable Agricultural Technique to Enhance Mango (<i>Mangifera indica</i> L.) Productivity in Tropical Soils
Xiaoping Zang,
Tianyan Yun,
Lixia Wang,
Rulin Zhan,
Zheli Ding,
Weihong Ma,
Mamdouh A. Eissa,
Tao Jing,
Yongxia Liu,
Jianghui Xie,
Yingdui He
Affiliations
Xiaoping Zang
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Tianyan Yun
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Lixia Wang
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Rulin Zhan
Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Zheli Ding
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Weihong Ma
Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Mamdouh A. Eissa
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Tao Jing
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Yongxia Liu
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Jianghui Xie
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Yingdui He
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Bananas, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya Research Institute, Sanya 571101, China
Reducing fertilizer doses under sustainable agricultural management is possible by increasing nutrient utilization efficiency, which will decrease crop production costs and boost economic return. Soil amendments known as water retention agents (WRAs) are added to the soil to enhance crop growth conditions. We hypothesize that the addition of WRAs may support the soil-retaining nutrients given through fertilization and prevent them from leaching into tropical soils characterized by severe rainfall due to WRAs’ exceptional capacities to absorb and store water. Mango trees (Mangifera indica L. cv Tainong No. 1) aged 18 years were fertilized with 100% or 80% of the recommended doses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The experimental design included three treatments, i.e., complete recommended doses of N, P, and K (CRF), 80% of the complete recommended doses (RRF), and water-retaining agent (40 kg ha−1) + 80% of the complete recommended doses (WRARRF). Reducing the fertilization doses by 20% for mango trees in the studied tropical soil significantly (p RRF > CRF. WRARRF produced the maximum economic benefit (USD 7372 per hectare) compared to CRF and RRF. The polyacrylamide/attapulgite water-retaining agent exhibited remarkable improvement in mango fruit yield and economic profit by regulating the release of nutrients in tropical soils. Water-retaining agents are an effective strategy for overcoming the extensive fertilization used in mango orchards, which has resulted in numerous environmental contaminations and the inefficient use of fertilizers.
