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Abstract
In arecanut, disorders like crown choking and crown bending lead to death of palms within a short span. Spatial and temporal variability in soil and leaf nutrient status was used as a tool to find out the causes for disorders in clay and laterite soils. Availability of nutrients in soils was sufficient to excess. Deviation from optimum percentage index was negative for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn) in both soils. Zinc deficits of –26 to –63 in higher number of palms (84–97%) indicate the reduction in Zn uptake. Regression between leaf Zn and soil fertility parameters indicated negative relation with soil Zn and calcium (Ca) in clay and soil organic carbon, soil P, and soil boron (B) in laterite soils. Multiple regression indicated negative relation of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Zn with nutrients like Ca, magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and iron (Fe) in soil in different years. The grouping of soil nutrients in opposite directions in first two components of principal component analysis supports negative nutrient interactions in both soil types. The results reveal that nutrient interactions in soil affect the uptake of nutrients despite sufficient nutrient availability. Zinc deficiency in arecanut may be the result of complex interactions between DTPA-extractable Zn and other nutrients in soil.