Fertilización nitrogenada y fosfórica en yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis st. hil.) en el Distrito de Paso Yobay, Departamento del Guaira

Abstract

Yerba mate is a perennial plant harvested annually, from which the leaves and fine branches are removed from the plant and considered as commercial production, where the provision of nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for an economically profitable production. In order to evaluate the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus doses on the concentration of itrogen and phosphorus in the plant and yerba mate production, an experiment was set up in the town of Mangrullo, Paso Yobai, Guairá between the months of August 2018 and July 2019. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, in a bifactorial scheme, where factor 1 corresponded to N doses (0, 60 and 120 kg ha^-1 of N) and factor 2, phosphorus doses (0, 60 and 120 kg ha^-1 of P₂O₅), with three repetitions. The variables evaluated were the nitrogen and phosphorus content in leaves and thin branches and commercial yield of yerba mate (kg ha^-1). The data were subjected to a normality test and subsequently to variance analysis and comparison of means using the Tukey test at 5% probability of error and regression analysis. The results analyzed indicate significant differences in the variable of N concentration in thin branches; the treatments with 60 and 120 kg ha^-1 of nitrogen presented 15.54 and 16.36 g kg^-1 respectively, were higher to the control treatment which presented 11.1 g kg^-1. The other variables were statistically similar, with average values of nitrogen in leaves of 30.31 g kg^-1, phosphorus in leaves of 1.05 g kg^-1, phosphorus in thin branches of 0.77 g kg^-1. The average yield was 7866 kg ha^-1. The application of increasing doses of N and P did not influence yerba mate production in the first year of evaluation.