Peach palm - World Agroforestry Centre

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5 0 Peach palm. Bactris gasipaes Kunth products, and the non-commercial leaf sheaths surrounding the heart-of-palm. More than 91% of the harvested biomass was used as mulch in the plantation for soil conservation and nutrient recycling (Fig. 8). If the non-commercial leaf sheaths were returned to the plantation for mulch, only 2.35% of the harvested biomass ha- 1 year-1 would be removed from the plantation. In the same plantation mentioned above, Herrera (1989) also determined nutrient content of the aboveground plant parts (stems, leaves and offshoots) and of the plant parts removed for processing (commercial heart-of-palm and by-products, and non-commercial leaf sheaths). The quantity of phosphorus, potassium and magnesium removed with these plant parts is relatively high (Table 10), and these nutrients should be carefully managed with appropriate fertilizer applications. The quantity of micronutrients removed is relatively low and should constitute limiting factors only in soils that are already deficient in these micronutrients (Villachica 1996), a situation frequently found in the humid tropics. Recycling the non-commercial leaf sheaths as mulch in the plantation would slightly reduce the amount of nutrients removed from the soil with each harvest. The range in foliar nutrients associated with vigorous offshoot development is listed in Table 10. These values are based on analysis of the fourth leaf from vigorous plants managed for heart-of-palm production (P. Guzmán, unpublished data), and can be used as a guide to the nutritional status of plants in the plantation. Fig. 8. Biomass is a by-product of the heart-of-palm harvest, and is used as mulch for soil
Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 20. 51 Table 10. Nutrient content of total aboveground biomass and biomass removed in heart-of-palm harvest from a plantation with 3200 plants/ha and 9600 harvested offshoots ha -1 year -1, and foliar nutrient range associated with vigorous heart-of-palm growth Biomass nutrient content % of total Foliar nutrient range (kg ha-1 year-1) biomass for vigorous growth Nutrient Total† Removed‡ removed‡ (dry weight) Nitrogen 531.00 28.005.27 3.5 - 4.5 % Phosphorus 37.90 4.80 12.66 0.17 - 0.20 % Potassium 248.30 31.00 12.48 1.0 - 1.2 % Calcium 64.80 4.70 7.25 0.4 - 0.6 % Magnesium 43.00 3.90 9.07 0.24 - 0.36 % Sulphur 47.23 3.36 7.11 0.24 - 0.28 % Boron 0.56 0.03 5.36 32 - 48 ppm Copper 0.18 0.02 11.11 5 - 15 ppm Iron 1.83 0.03 1.64 145 - 180 ppm Manganese 2.27 0.09 3.96 95 - 140 ppm Zinc 0.25 0.05 20.00 20 - 27 ppm Sources: biomass nutrients adapted from Herrera 1989 and foliar nutrients from P. Guzmán, unpublished data. † Includes all stems, leaves and offshoots. ‡ Includes commercial heart-of-palm, by-products and non-commercial leaf sheaths. In the early heart-of-palm plantations, only nitrogen was applied because the vegetative growth response to nitrogen was very rapid (Herrera 1989; Pérez et al. 1993b). However, repeated applications of nitrogen increased soil acidity and led to a reduction in available calcium, magnesium, potassium and perhaps other nutrients (Herrera 1989). In addition, the plants were more susceptible to water stress and the normally ivory-coloured hearts turned yellow (tannin oxidation), which reduced its commercial value. Fertilizer applications recommended by different investigators are listed in Table 11. Only Herrera’s recommendation is based on experimental results. It is effective on the rich volcanic soils of Hawaii and on infertile oxisols near Manaus, Brazil (C.R. Clement, 1997, pers. observ.). The actual quantities will vary, depending on local soil characteristics, climate, mineralization rates of nutrients in the mulch, and the plants’ mineral-use efficiency (Villachica 1996). Fertilizer may not be necessary in the first year of cultivation following the slash-and-burn of secondary or primary forest, but the highest levels are recommended for soils that have been cultivated for several years after slash-and-burn and have no residual effect of the ash. Lime application is recommended for soils with more than 50% aluminium saturation, which is common in the Amazon Basin (apply 100-200 g/plant in planting hole and again 30 days after transplanting). Magnesium and boron deficiencies are common.
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Peach palm - World Agroforestry Centre

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