Photosynthetic performance, growth, production and post-harvest quality of jambu varieties under liming and nitrogen fertilization
Acmella oleracea. Production. Postharvest. Nitrogen. Gas exchange
The jambu is a leafy vegetable, widely used in the North region, both in typical dishes and medicinal herb. Its taste is quite peculiar, and the flowers produce a tingling sensation and numbness of the mouth mucous membranes, due to the presence of the spilantol substance. In the last years, the vegetable has been conquering space in the national and international market, however its production is still concentrated in small properties near the capital of Pará. Despite all its importance, the cultivation of jambu, in the North region needs in-depth research on management and fertilization in order to increase its production and quality. In this sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of liming and nitrogen fertilization on the productive, physiological and post-harvest quality responses of yellow-flowered and purple-flowered jambu varieties. For this purpose, two experiments were carried out under protected environment conditions at the Federal Rural University of the Amazon - UFRA, from February to May 2019. The experiment was conducted in randomized blocks, in factorial scheme (6 x 2), with five repetitions. The treatments consisted of six doses of nitrogen (0; 60; 90; 120; 150; 180 kg ha-1) with and without liming application (0 and 70%V). The characteristics of foliar area, fresh and dry mater, gas exchange, photosynthetic pigments and post-harvest quality were evaluated. Liming improved the efficiency of nitrogen fertilization in the jambu varieties; the dose of 120 kg N /ha-¹ is more suitable for the production of inflorescences in both jambu varieties; the estimated dose of 170 kg N /ha-¹ is more suitable for the production of biomass from the aerial part for yellow and purple flower jambu; the use of a soil improver combined with nitrogen fertilization promoted an increase in gas exchange in the yellow flower variety; on the other hand, only liming influenced gas exchange in the purple flower variety; liming combined with nitrogen doses improved the post-harvest quality of the jambu varieties. The higher dose used (180 kg ha-1) reduced the photosynthetic pigments in the yellow-flowered jambu and the maximum nitrogen doses in the presence of liming increased the contents of photosynthetic pigments in purple-flowered jambu.