Nutritional efficiency of cowpea varieties in the absorption of phosphorus

Abstract

The use of genotypes and/or varieties that are efficient in the absorption and use of phosphorus can be a complementary solution to increase productivity and reduce the cost of production in the crops. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the content, accumulation, and the efficiencies of uptake, transport and utilization of phosphorus by cowpea varieties cultivated in an Ultisol soil. The experiment used a completely randomized design in a 2 x 4 factorial scheme, with two levels of phosphorus (0 and 300 mg kg-1 soil), four varieties of cowpea (BRS Tumucumaque, BRS Guariba, BRS Cauamé and BRS Itaim) and five replications. The results led to the conclusion that the variety BRS Itaim presented differentiated behaviors in relation to plant height, stem diameter and dry mass production. The varieties BRS Tumucumaque and BRS Guariba were superior in total dry mass production, uptake, transport and utilization of phosphorus in low nutrient supply conditions. The aboveground production of dry mass and its phosphorus content were more sensitive to phosphorus deficiency in the three varieties, which shows that they were more appropriate for the use of phosphorus

Keywords

• Vigna unguiculata (L.)
• nutrición mineral
• absorción de nutrientes
• fertilidad