Production and fruit quality of ‘BRS Imperial’ pineapple using cassava wastewater (manipueira) and cattle manure

Abstract

Potassium is the main nutrient that influences the quality of pineapple fruits. Therefore, it is a crop with high demand of this nutrient. In this sense, manipueira (cassava wastewater) has been an important source of nutrient to replace mineral fertilizers. In addition to manipueira, other organic sources have been used, such as cattle manure, resulting in improvements in soil quality (physical, chemical, and biological indicators), and therefore favoring the plant growth. Thus, the objective of present study was to evaluate the effects of the use of manipueira combined with cattle manure on the production and fruit quality of ‘BRS Imperial’ pineapple. The randomized completely design arranged in a 5 × 3 factorial scheme with three replications was used, consisting of five manipueira doses (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) and three doses of cattle manure (0, 0.5, and 1.0 L pot^-1). At a dose of 100%, total potassium fertilization was provided by manipueira. In the other doses, manipueira was used as potassium supplementation according to the dose of mineral fertilizer recommended for pineapple. Chlorophyll a and b indices of ‘D’ leaf, length and width of the ‘D’ leaf, total leaf area of the plant, whole fruit mass and productivity, mass and length of crownless fruit, fruit perimeter, peduncle length and diameter, titratable total acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS), and TSS/TTA ratio were evaluated. There was no significant interaction (p > 0.05) between manipueira and cattle manure doses for any evaluated variable. As for isolated effects, only under cultivation with application of cattle manure (0.5 or 1.0 L pot^-1) there was a higher production of pineapple fruits. Therefore, it is possible to use of manipueira at 100% dose to supply potassium in mineral fertilizer replacement.