Impact of N, P, K, Mg and S deficiency on physiological and growth aspects of the orchid <i>Dendrobium bigibbum</i>

Meireles, Rubens Oliveira; Prado, Renato de Mello; Mazzini-Guedes, Renata Bachin; Santos, Rodolfo Inácio Nunes; Viana, Rafael Gomes; Meireles, Vinicius Mendes; Camargo Júnior, Raimundo Nonato Colares; Pivetta, Kathia Fernandes Lopes

doi:10.1590/2447-536X.v31.e312930

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Article • Ornam. Hortic. 31 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2447-536X.v31.e312930 linkcopy

Impact of N, P, K, Mg and S deficiency on physiological and growth aspects of the orchid Dendrobium bigibbum

Impactos da deficiência de N, P, K, Mg e S em aspectos fisiológicos e de crescimento da orquídea Dendrobium bigibbum

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Dendrobium bigibbum is one of the main cultivated and commercialized orchids in the world. However, there is still lack of information on its nutritional requirements, plant response to macronutrient individual deficiency, and related biological harms. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of N, P, K, Mg, and S deficiencies on physiological aspects, nutrient accumulation, dry matter production, and symptoms in D. bigibbum plants cultivated under nutrient solutions. Seven treatments were composed of a complete nutrient solution, solutions with individual omissions of N, P, K, Mg, and S, besides an only-water solution (control), organized in randomized blocks with 10 replications. Seedlings were planted in polyethylene pots of 1 dm³ volume, filled with vermiculite, and acclimatized along 30 days. After that, nutrient solution applications started according to the treatments along 90 days. D. bigibbum plants, for an optimum growth, present the nutritional requirements according to the following descending order: K ˃ N ˃ Mg ˃ P ˃ S. However, the species is sensitive to N, P, K, Mg, and S deficiency, what impairs the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate; it similarly harms plant dry matter production, causing visual symptoms which are characteristic of each nutrient deficiency.

Keywords:
nutrients; photosynthetic rate; stomatal conductance; transpiration rate

Treatments	Net Photosynthetic Rate	Stomatal Conductance	Transpiration Rate
	µmol CO₂	mol H₂O m^-2 s^-1	mmol H₂O
Complete	4.91 a	1.17 a	1.17 a
-N	3.15 c	0.52 b	0.52 b
-P	2.11 c	0.72 b	0.72 b
-K	3.78 b	0.67 b	0.67 b
-Mg	3.02 c	0.68 b	0.68 b
-S	2.16 c	0.79 b	0.79 b
Control	2.18 c	0.48 b	0.48 b
F test	13.05**	3.64*	3.64*
CV (%)	17.13	27.03	27.03
SD	0.53	0.19	0.19

Treatment	DMAP	DMR	TDM
Complete	6.20 a	6.48 a	12.69 a
-N	4.24 b	4.87 b	9.11 b
-P	4.04 b	4.56 b	8.60 b
-K	4.37 b	4.76 b	9.13 b
-Mg	4.12 b	4.36 b	8.48 b
-S	4.76 b	5.02 b	9.78 b
Control	3.70 b	3.92 b	7.62 b
F Test	11.72**	22.96**	27.88**
CV (%)	9.23	5.99	5.67
SD	0.41	0.29	0.53

Treatment	N	P	K	Mg	S
Treatment	Content (g kg^-1)
Complete	7.90 a	1.20 a	22.53 a	6.93 a	0.73 a
-N	5.33 b	1.06 a	15.10 b	4.03 b	0.53 b
-P	6.53 b	0.93 a	15.50 b	3.50 b	0.60 a
-K	5.73 b	0.93 a	13.00 b	3.36 b	0.50 b
-Mg	7.43 a	1.30 a	26.53 a	5.70 a	0.40 b
-S	8.70 a	1.33 a	22.60 a	5.93 a	0.50 b
Control	4.86 b	1.00 a	15.83 b	3.96 b	0.36 b
F Test	5.10**	2.78*	6.67**	2.94**	4.97**
CV (%)	15.45	28.98	17.92	27.35	17.59
SD	1.03	1.54	3.36	1.33	0.09
	Accumulation (mg plant^-1)
Complete	48.78 a	7.48 a	139.68 a	42.79 a	4.52 a
-N	22.30 b	4.54 b	64.27 b	17.03 c	2.27 b
-P	26.79 b	3.77 b	64.67 b	14.62 c	2.47 b
-K	25.92 b	4.24 b	58.98 b	15.37 c	2.26 b
-Mg	30.68 b	5.39 b	108.54 a	23.00 c	1.62 c
-S	41.83 a	6.36 b	109.11 a	28.44 b	2.38 b
Control	18.18 b	3.75 b	52.30 b	14.62 c	1.36 c
F Test	8.07**	2.78**	8.87**	7.50**	11.89**
CV (%)	20.22	28.98	21.22	27.00	19.74
SD	6.39	1.54	18.82	6.25	0.50

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[TFN1] Means followed by the same letter in the columns do not differ from each other by the Scott Knott test at **1% and *5% probability. CV - coefficient of variation; SD - standard deviation.