Agro-Physiological Traits of Kaffir Lime in Response to Pruning and Nitrogen Fertilizer under Mild Shading

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 1155
• Main Authors: Budiarto, Rahmat, Poerwanto, Roedhy, Santosa, Edi, Efendi, Darda, Agusta, Andria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.03.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Agronomy; chlorosis; Citrus fruits; Citrus hystrix; Citrus limonia; Comparative analysis; Correlation analysis; Environmental aspects; Fertilizers; Gardening in the shade; leaf production; Leaves; Lime fruit; Measurement; Nitrogen; Nitrogen fertilizers; Photosynthesis; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Plant growth; Plants; Plants (botany); Pruning; Regression analysis; Seedlings; Shading; Statistical analysis; Stems; Water use; Indonesia; Citrus hystrix; shading; leaf production; photosynthesis; chlorosis
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants12051155

Mild shading has been reported to increase leaf production in kaffir lime ( ) through the improvement of agro-physiological variables, such as growth, photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency; however, there is still a knowledge gap concerning its growth and yield after experiencing severe pruning in harvest season. Additionally, a specific nitrogen (N) recommendation for leaf-oriented kaffir lime is still unavailable due to its lesser popularity compared to fruit-oriented citrus. The present study determined the best pruning level and N dose based on agronomy and the physiology of kaffir lime under mild shading. Nine-month-old kaffir lime seedlings grafted to rangpur lime ( ) were arranged in a split-plot design, i.e., N dose as a main plot and pruning as a subplot. Comparative analysis resulted in 20% higher growth and a 22% higher yield in the high-pruned plants by leaving 30 cm of main stem above the ground rather than short ones with a 10 cm main stem. Both correlation and regression analysis strongly highlighted the importance of N for leaf numbers. Plants treated with 0 and 10 g N plant experienced severe leaf chlorosis due to N deficiency, while those treated with 20 and 40 g N plant showed N sufficiency; thus, the efficient recommendation for kaffir lime leaf production is 20 g N plant .