Evaluación de la aplicación foliar de potasio y su incidencia en el rendimiento del cultivo de fresa (Fragaria x ananassa)

Abstract

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) crop has experienced a significant expansion worldwide due to both the value of production and the nutritional value, however, production levels in Ecuador are relatively low in relation to the world average. Although literature on the importance of macronutrients such as potassium in this crop is still scarce, it is known that the strawberry requires to be provided with quantities enough to satisfy the photosynthetic demand and an adequate growth of the fruits. In this sense, in the present study the effect of potassium fertilization applied via foliar on the number, size and quality of strawberry fruits was evaluated. For this, three doses (5, 10 and 15 g/l) of two foliar fertilizers (Engrosan K3000 and Agromax K50) were evaluated and compared with the conventional fertilization used in strawberry. A greater number of fruits was obtained in plants treated with Agromax K50 at a dose of 10 g/l, with which were obtained 6.74 and 18.44% higher than with the doses of 5 and 15 g/l of the same product, while with respect to the Engrosan K-300 product, it was 23.38, 13.34 and 14.99% higher than the doses of 5, 10 and 15 g/l, respectively. Similarly, estimated yield was significantly higher with Agromax K50 at a dose of 10 g/l compared to the rest of the treatments. The firmness of the fruit was affected by both the type of product and the dose applied, being significantly higher in fruits obtained from plants treated with Agromax K50 at the different doses, with values from 2.83 to 3.02 kg/cm2 in fruits from categories 2 and 3. Finally, the Brix degrees were not affected by the fertilizer type and the applied dose, so they generally ranged from 9.2 to 12.2 °Bx. Based on the results, the use of Agromax K50 in the fertilization of strawberry plants is recommended in order to obtain better quality of the harvest and higher yield.