https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5970-9175
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Abstract
Due to its importance for oil production in Brazil and worldwide, the ‘Picual’ olive trees deserves special attention of to its good climatic adaptation and high yield and stability in the oil produced. However, there is a need to generate more technical information to improve the propagation and production system for nursery plants. The use of slow-release fertilizer (SRF) affects the quality standard of the plants formed in the nursery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of doses (0, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, and 12 g L−1) of the SRF, Osmocote® (NPK 14-14-14), on morphological, biochemical and nutritional parameters of ‘Picual’ olive plants. It was found that the average value of maximum technical efficiency dose (MTED) for several morphological variables (plant height, stem diameter, total plant dry weight and root volume) was 7.18 g L−1. Furthermore, an Osmocote® dose of 8.35 g L−1 resulted in optimal leaf number and area. For the carbohydrate concentration (sucrose, starch and Total Soluble Sugar) in leaves, the best average values were obtained at 4.51, 5.48 and 6.12 g L−1 of Osmocote®, respectively. Additionally, the best growth responses of plants may also be due to increased internal macronutrient concentration such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) after treatment with 7.87 g L−1 of Osmocote®. The use of SRF (Osmocote®) is a viable alternative in the production of ‘Picual’ plants, as it promotes good morphological characteristics, synthesis of photosynthetic products as well as satisfactory nutritional status and plant growth.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.