Heliconia development as a function of different soil types and nitrogen doses

Abstract

Heliconia psittacorum is a plant that stands out in tropical floriculture due to its inflorescence with bracts of different colors and its high ornamental value. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of nitrogen applied under different management methods on the development of heliconia plants (H. psittacorum). The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, in the soil science area, from May to December 2018, at the Belém Campus of the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA). A completely randomized design was used, in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme, distributed over 5 replications. The factors were 4 doses of nitrogen fertilization (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg ha-1 of N) and 2 types of soil (conventional cultivation and forest). The variables used to analyze the treatments were: height, pseudostem diameter, fresh weight of the pseudostem, flower stem, leaves, rhizome and root. The results of the experiment were subjected to analysis of variance, compared using the Tukey test, where appropriate, and regression studies by adjusting the equations according to the doses of N used. There were significant differences in all the variables studied. The results of this study show that there is probably a certain shortage of the elements needed for plant nutrition and, with a greater supply of N, there is greater root development to make up for this deficiency.

Keywords

• Heliconia psittacorum
• plant nutrition
• soil fertility
• soil management