Mineral nutrition of ornamental plants XII: Macronutrient and boron deficiences in chrysanthemum cv. golden polaris

Abstract

Chrysantemum plants (Cv. Golden Polaris) were cultivated in pots containing pure quartz and irrigated with nutrient solution with the follows composition: full solution, all essential elements, and others laking N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S and B. After the symptoms were clearly identified, the plants were harvested, divided into new leaves, old leaves, stems and flowers and analysed for the elements. The malnutrition symptoms appear, in sequence for the elements N, B, S, K, Ca, P and Mg, being more prominent in the treatments of -N, -K, -B and -Ca. The nutrient levels in the leaves without malnutrition symptoms expressed in percentage or part per million of dry matter were: N% -1.92 - 2.25; P% 0.08 - 0.13; K% 2.79 - 2.87; Ca% 1.81 -1.68; Mg% 0.70 - 0.93; S% - 0.10 - 1.13 and B ppm 56.5 -67.2 The levels of nutrients in unusual leaves were: N% 0.73; P% 0.003; K% 0.42; Ca% 0.46; Mg% 0.48; S% 0.10 and B ppm - 33.07.