Calcium fertilization strategy to improve production and quality of ‘Tommy Atkins’ mango in semi-arid conditions

ABSTRACT

Calcium (Ca) is an essential element for the development of mango plants. New technologies are emerging in the market to assist the production process, such as organic acids and amino acids. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different strategies of Ca fertilization on the production and physical-chemical quality of ‘Tommy Atkins’ mango grown under Brazilian semi-arid conditions. The experiment was carried out in two commercial mango orchards, following a randomized block design, with four replications and four plants per block. The factorial design was composed by three formulations of Ca-based products and three forms of application. Fruit were harvested at the physiological maturity to determine yield and quality. There was no statistical difference among treatments for the incidence of internal physiological disorders in mangoes, with mean values ranging from 0.08% to 0.38%. Fruit production and physical-chemical quality were affected by the different Ca formulations and forms of application. Fruit production ranged from 21.5 to 44.4 kg per plant. The Ca foliar application plus fertigation in the form of CaCl₂.2 H₂O resulted in higher production, as well as higher fruit weight and lower weight loss at 40 days after harvest.

KEYWORDS:

• Mangifera indica L
• physiological disorders
• plant nutrition
• pulp firmness

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for a scholarship to first author from Foundation for Support to Science and Technology of the State of Pernambuco (FACEPE, Brazil).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).