Mineral nutrition of forage Arachis

• Published in: CIAT publication (CIAT) no. 240
• Main Authors: Rao, I.M, Kerridge, P.C
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Cali (Colombia) CIAT 1994
• Subjects: ADAPTACION; ADAPTATION; ANALISIS DEL SUELO; ANALYSE DE SOL; ARACHIS; BESOIN NUTRITIONNEL; CONTENIDO MINERAL; NECESIDADES DE NUTRIENTES; SOL ACIDE; SUELO ACIDO; TEJIDOS VEGETALES; TENEUR EN ELEMENTS MINERAUX; TISSU VEGETAL; VALEUR NUTRITIVE; VALOR NUTRITIVO; VARIEDADES; VARIETE
• ISBN: 9589183964; 9789589183960

Information on the mineral nutrition of forage Arachis is limited to one accession of A. pintoi (CIAT 17434) and a few cultivars of A. glabrata. Although A. pintoi shows good adaptation to acid soils, its maximum growth appears to be limited below pH 5.4. Adaptation to low-fertility soils is associated with the maintenance of photosynthetic activity per unit leaf area. One striking characteristic of A. pintoi and A. glabrata is the ability to acquire phosphorus from low-P soils. In one study using A. pintoi, this was associated with intensive fine root development on a fine-textured soil and high vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal activity on a coarse-textured soil. The ability of A. pintoi to acquire P in competition with grasses would contribute to its persistence when grown in association with grasses. A study of the nutrient requirements of A. pintoi compared with those of other tropical forage legumes indicated a relatively low requirement for copper, molybdenum, and lime, and a moderate requirement for phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. However, it appears that A. pintoi does not use nutrients as effectively as some other legumes and grasses in terms of dry matter produced per unit uptake of a nutrient. Diagnosis of mineral nutritional deficiencies using visual symptoms and plant tissue analysis has been developed for A. pintoi. Further research is required on the comparative nutrition of accessions other than A. pintoi CIAT 17434, and other Arachis species, the importance of mineral nutrition on nitrogen fixation, acquisition of nutrients, maintenance fertilizer requirement, interaction of mineral nutrition and moisture stress, and nutrient requirement for seed production.