Symptoms of mineral deficiencies in cupuaçu plants (Theobroma grandiflorum) grown in nutrient solution

Abstract

With the objective of obtaining the visual symptoms of cupuaçu nutricional deficiencies, seedlings were grown in a greenhouse, in nutrient solution, omitting N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn, in comparison to a complete treatment. All symptoms were described and presented as an identification table, which shows great similarity with cocoa plants. To asses nutrient concentrations, leaves were collected at different parts of the plants, in two samplings. Concentrations found in leaves from plants in which an dement was omitted were always lower than those found in the complete treatment, thereby demonstrating that the symptoms were really due to the induced deficiency. Although the mineral contents of leaves with deficiency symptoms were always lower than those found in other samplings, the reference leaf, recommended in the literature for cocoa (3rd leaf starting from tip), was also adequate for cupuaçu, except in the case of Cu.