Predictive value of soil exchangeable potassium in mycorrhiza-inoculated banana under organic-mineral fertilization in Cuban Cambisols

Rivera Espinosa, Ramon; Simó González, Jaime Enrique

doi:10.15517/6gkv5383

Authors

Ramon Rivera Espinosa Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas. San José de las Lajas, Cuba. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6621-7446
Jaime Enrique Simó González Instituto de Investigaciones de Viandas Tropicales (INIVIT). Santo Domingo, Villa Clara, Cuba. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2689-7920

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15517/6gkv5383

Keywords:

aplicación de fertilizantes, micorrizas arbusculares, Canavalia ensiformis, Musa spp., valores de prueba del suelo

Abstract

Introduction. Banana is a multicycle crop, with a high potassium (K) demand, and soil K analysis guides fertilization. Mycorrhizal inoculation reduces fertilizer K needs, yet Soilbased K recommendations for inoculated systems remain undefined. Objective. To establish a soil potassium threshold for guiding fertilization in AMFinoculated banana crops under organicmineral fertilization. Materials and methods. Two experiments were conducted in Santo Domingo, Cuba, on Eutric Cambisols using the FHIA-18 cultivar. Both followed a randomized block design with four replicates. The first evaluated five organic-mineral fertilization (OMF) doses, with or without Rhizoglomus irregulare (AMF) inoculation across mother plant and first ratoon cycles, and included measurements of yield, mycorrhizal indicators, foliar NPK concentrations, and soil fertility. The second, conducted across three crop cycles, involved combinations of OMF doses, Canavalia ensiformis as green manure, AMF inoculation, and mineral fertilization. In this experiment, only information about soil fertility and relative yield was used. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, while critical thresholds were identified using Cate-Nelson successive partitioning. Results. Banana yield increased with OMF dose, and AMF inoculation reduced the OMF requirement by 25 %, associated with higher colonization and improved K uptake. Soil exchangeable K allowed the establishment of soil Kbased fertilization thresholds. Inoculation reduced the critical soil K thresholds relative to noninoculated banana, which reflects enhanced mycorrhizal K acquisition efficiency. The canavalia reduced OMF requirements in inoculated banana but did not alter the soil K index, which remained consistent across inoculated treatments regardless of fertilizer sources. The index functioned as a sufficiency index for K fertilization. Conclusions. The soil Kbased index established for AMFinoculated banana defines the soil K threshold and provides a practical tool for assessing K fertilization sufficiency and guiding input adjustments under the tested edaphic conditions.

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