Coconut production aiming water extraction is increasing in São Paulo State, Brazil. Coconut is a new crop in this region, so there is a lack of information about its management. A field experiment was conducted in Pereira Barreto, SP, Brazil (20º47'S; 51º01'W) to study the effects of NPK rates on yield and fruit quality, from September,2000 to February, 2004. The experimental design was an incomplete NPK factorial 1/2(4³). The treatments were annual rates of N (0, 120, 240, and 360 kg ha¹ of N), P (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg ha¹ of P2O5) and K (0, 120, 240, and 360 kg ha¹ of K2O), applied as NH4NO3, triple superphosphate and KCl, respectively. The rates of N, P e K were split during rainy season. The effect of N rates was negative on water volume production on fruits, weight and number of fruits per bunch, and in a different way, K application had a positive effect on them. P and K contents in the coconut water increased with P and K fertilization, otherwise the treatments had no effect on sensory evaluation results. P application had no effect on fruit production.
nitrogen; phosphorus; potassium; coconut
