Growth of Feijoa sellowiana (O.Berg) O.Berg seedlings in response to different fertilizer concentrations

Abstract

Among the native fruit species of Brazil, those belonging to the Myrtaceae family stand out. Feijoa sellowiana is highly appreciated and has well-established commercial plantations; however, its cultivation is still incipient in Brazil. Given this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the growth of F. sellowiana through the number of leaves (NL), collar diameter (CD), and height (H) under different concentrations of NPK fertilizer and controlled-release fertilizer (CRF). Four combinations of NPK and CRF were tested using a completely randomized design (CRD): fertilization 1 with 15:2 g/L, fertilization 2 with 10:4 g/L, fertilization 3 with 5:6 g/L, and fertilization 4 with 0:8 g/L. The final evaluation of the treatments was carried out 77 days after the beginning of the experiment. When assumptions of normality and homogeneity were met, Tukey’s test at a 95% confidence level was applied. According to the F-test, there were no significant differences between treatments for the variables NL and H. For the variable CD, the best treatment was fertilization 2, which was statistically superior according to Tukey’s test. This superiority may be due to the higher concentration of fast-release fertilizer (NPK), which contributed to a more accelerated initial seedling development, sustained by the CRF. Finally, due to the scarcity of information on the growth of F. sellowiana seedlings, further studies over longer periods and with different concentrations and combinations of fertilizers are necessary.