This research studied the effect of pyroligneous acid (PA) presence in the micronutrient solution sprayed on leaves on the foliar nutrient content of 'Rangpur lime' (Citrus limonia Osbeck0) seedlings, under screen house. An experiment in a randomized complete block design with six treatments and four replicates was set up. Treatments consisted of leaf spraying with the following solutions: T0 = water; T1 = micronutrients solution without PA; T2 = micronutrients solution+ PA (1 cm³ dm-3); T3 = micronutrients solution + PA (2 cm³ dm-3); T4 = micronutrients solution + PA (5 cm³ dm-3); T5 = micronutrients solution + PA (10 cm³ dm-3). The micronutrient solutions were prepared by using sulphates of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn (250 mg dm-3 of the elements), and boric acid (42.5 mg dm-3 of B). The experiment was set up on 0.280 dm³ conical containers, in growing media with no addition of micronutrients. The solutions were sprayed once, at 140 days after planting (DAP), when the plants were about 20 cm high. At the end of the experiment (160 DAP), dry mass of plants and concentrations of nutrients of aerial part and root system were evaluated. The presence of pyroligneous acid in the spraying solution did not affect B, Fe and Zn concentration in the leaves. However, increased Cu and Mn concentration for treatments containing PA at 10 cm³ dm-3 in the micronutrients solution. It was also observed that plants sprayed with solutions of PA (1 to 10 cm³ dm-3) + micronutrients showed lower Fe and higher Ca concentration on the root system.
Citrus; propagation; leaf spray; nursery tree production; micronutrients
