TITLE:
Nutrimental diagnosis of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) “Haas”, soil fertility and water quality in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
AUTHORS:
Hector Sotelo-Nava, Oscar Gabriel Villegas-Torres, Martha Lilia Domínguez-Patiño, Francisco Perdomo-Roldán, Elías Hernández Castro, Agustín Damián Nava, Margarita Ramos García
KEYWORDS:
Avocado; Nutrimental Imbalance Index; Diagnosis; Nutrimental Status; Nutrients
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.4 No.9,
August
27,
2013
ABSTRACT:
In two contrasting agricultural ecohabitats (agrohabitats) in the avocado production area
in the municipality of Cuernavaca, Morelos, an analysis of nutrimental status, soil fertility and water quality was
conducted to measure soil fertility levels and to determine the nutrimental
state of the trees. The “Hass” variety avocado groves studied had an average
age of 8 years; the first grove was planted in an acrisol soil (1700 to 1900
meters above mean sea level [mamsl]); the second, in an andosol soil (1200 to
1700 mamsl). In each agrohabitat, tests were performed to determine the soil’s
physical and chemical characteristics.
The physical and chemical characteristics of the soils of this zone
differ as do the nutrimental states of the avocado trees in the two agrohabitats.
The trees showed excessive
concentration of Ca, Fe, S, Z and Mg.
The indices of Deviation from Optimal Percentage (DOP) in the two agrohabitats showed different nutrimental
requirements; nevertheless, they were low and very near to zero, 14.218 and
13.350 respectively. The water used for the agricultural irrigation was low in
salinity and sodium content and thus may be used for the agricultural irrigation
without restrictions.