ABSTRACT
Fertigation is a major form of fertilizer installments; however, if applied in excess, the fertilizers can damage the crop development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accumulation and exportation of macronutrients in a beet cultivation under 2 fertigation managements at different levels of soil salinity. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in the city of Botucatu, Brazil. The treatments consisted of the combination of soil salinity (1.0, 3.0, 6.0, 9.0 and 12.0 dS∙m−1), fertigation management (M1 = traditional and M2 = control of the ionic concentration), and varieties of beets (C1 = Early Wonder and C2 = Itapuã) in a 5 × 2 × 2 factorial design with 4 replications in randomized blocks. After harvest, it was determined the accumulation of macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, P, and S mg∙plant−1). There was an increased accumulation of nutrients studied for both cultivars and fertigation managements until electrical conductivity levels between 3 (M1) and 6 (M2) dS∙m−1. The order of macronutrients exportation was different for the studied cultivars. The cultivar Early Wonder followed the following order: K > N > Ca > Mg > P > S, while, for the Itapuã cultivar, the order was K > N > Mg > Ca > S > P.
Key words
Beta vulgaris L.; electrical conductivity; fertilizers
