Nutrients exportation in mandarin fruits managed in an organic production system in brazilian subtropics

Abstract The knowledge on the amount of nutrients exported by citrus fruit is an adequate tool to estimate nutrient demand reposition and this information about mandarin is very scarce. In this context, the objective of this study was to determine the nutrient content and exportation by mandarin fruits harvest, in an orchard managed under organic production system. An experiment was carried out in an organic orchard of adult mandarin trees (23 years), located in Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil). The total content of macronutrients and micronutrients was determined in the mandarin fruits and the exportation was estimated by average yields in two seasons (2013/2014 and 2014/2015). The average exportation of macronutrient was 3.3, 2.3, 1.3, 0.4 and 0.3 kg t-1 for N, K, Ca, P and Mg, respectively; and of micronutrients was 6.3, 4.6, 1.5, 0.7 and 0.5 g t-1 for Fe, B, Zn, Mn and Cu, respectively. The N exportation in mandarin fruits does not comply with the current information used for citrus fertilizer recommendations, where the K is the nutrient most exported. Regarding micronutrients, besides the exported amounts vary among the literature, the magnitude order follows the same observed in our study. We propose these new standards for reposition of macronutrients and micronutrients in established mandarin orchards under organic management, contributing to a more accurate fertilizer recommendation.