Fruit nutrient composition and removal by ‘Haden’ and ‘Tommy Atkins’ mangos fruits under forced production

Abstract

To improve the management of mango nutrition and maintain soil fertility it is necessary to know the nutrient composition of the fruit as well as the amount of nutrients removed by the crop planting . This study was carried out in 2009 with the cvs. Haden and Tommy Atkins under forced production in the Valle de Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico, with the aims of: i) determining the nutrient composition of the fruit's tissues (epidermis, pulp, testa and embryo); and ii) quantifying the amount of nutrients removed by the crop of both mango cultivars. Two commercial ‘Haden’ mango orchards were chosen, along with two ‘Tommy Atkins’ orchards, with similar irrigation schemes and soils (Vertisol). In each orchard five trees were chosen and harvested two fruit per tree at physiological maturity. Fruit were separated in their tissues and the concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and B were determined in the dry matter. The nutrient composition of the fruit's tissues showed variations in each cultivar. The epidermis and the embryo presented the greatest concentrations of nutrients. The amounts of nutrients removed varied with the tissue; the highest values were for the pulp and epidermis, and the lowest were in the testa. The amount of nutrients removed per ton of fresh fruit was similar in both mango cultivars, except for Mn, which was removed in greater amounts by fruit of ‘Haden’. The nutritional removal intervals for ‘Haden’ and ‘Tommy Atkins’ were (kg⋅t-1 fresh fruit): N (1.03-1.11), P (0.22-0.24), K (1.88-2.14), Ca (0.21-0.31), Mg (0.14-0.15), S (0.28-0.33); (g⋅t-1 fresh fruit): Fe (3.5-3.8), Cu (1.0-1.1), Mn (3.2-4.8), Zn (2.0-2.8), and B (1.5-1.6).