Magnesium an Important Nutrient in Pineapple Production in a Bayamón Sandy Clay

Abstract

This paper reports the results obtained in studies undertaken to determine the influence of magnesium and trace elements on the yield of pineapples grown in a Bayamón sandy clay, a soil typical of the pineapple-growing area of the Island. The trace elements tested were iron, boron, zinc, copper, and molybdenum. The experimental results gathered are briefly summarized as follows: 1. Neither the use of trace elements nor lime was effective in increasing yields of pineapples significantly. 2. In most cases magnesium was the only nutrient which significantly influenced pineapple yields. Magnesium-treated plants produced, on the average, 2.7 tons more fruit per acre than the check plants. 3. Highest fruit yields were associated with the highest leaf-magnesium contents. 4. A significant correlation was found between relative yields and leaf-magnesium values. 5. Based on the data presented herein it is suggested that magnesium be incorporated in the fertilizer mix or in foliar sprays so as to increase fruit yields per acre, when the magnesium leaf content of plants grown on Bayamón sandy clay falls below 0.20 percent.