Simple and multiple visual symptoms of micronutrients deficiency in Anthurium andraeanum

Abstract

Mineral nutrition information of the ornamental plants still leaves great gaps on nutritional requirements and the identification of problems in the production and the product quality, due to nutritional stress, deficiencies or excesses. The objective of this work was the characterization visual symptoms of simple and multiple nutritional deficiencies, and their effects on anthurium growth. The experiment following a completely randomized design with 12 treatments and four replicates. Treatments consisted of: HOAGLAND and ARNON (1950) complete solution, with B omission (-B), with Cu omission (-Cu), with Fe omission (-Fe), with Mn omission (-Mn), with Zn omission (-Zn), with B and Cu omission (-B Cu), with B and Mn omission (-B Mn), with B and Zn omission (-B Zn), with Fe and Mn omission (-Fe Mn), with Zn and Cu omission (-Zn Cu), and with Zn, Cu and Fe omission (-Zn Cu Fe). The plants were observed verifying the changes resulted from the nutrient omissions. The symptoms in leaves, roots, and flowers were characterized and photographed. At harvest, were evaluated the number of leaves, length and width of the largest leaf. The plants were divided into leaves, stems, roots, and flowers. Were calculated the dry matter weight of plant’s parts. The obtained data were submitted to analyses of variance (ANOVA), as well as Scott e Knott test (p ≤ 0,05). In general, the simple and combined B omission caused morphological changes reflected in typical deficiency symptoms of this nutrient. There is dominance of the symptoms of B deficiency when this nutrient is omitted together with other nutrients. The omission of joint B and Mn caused the greater reductions in dry matter production of leaves. Omissions that led to major reductions in the number leaves were multiple omissions of Zn and Cu, Fe and Mn, B and Mn and omissions simple Mn and Zn led to the largest reductions in leaf number. The greater reductions in the width of leaves are always B omissions associated with both a simple as multiple omissions. The length of leaves was affected to a greater intensity by simple omissions of B and Mn and multiple B and Cu, Mn and B, and B and Zn.