| Plantains (Musa accuminata x Musa balbisiana ) are one of the most important commercial crops cultivated in Puerto Rico. It is important to determine the optimum fertilizer nitrogen (N) rates for the optimum yields, decrease production costs and excess N. An experiment was conducted in a commercial farm in the southern semiarid coast of Puerto Rico. The soil was of the Cartagena series (Fine, mixed, superactivate isohypertermic Sodic Haplusterts). Crop response to four N levels (100, 200, 300 and 400 kg/ha) applied as urea and ammonium sulfate by fertigation was evaluated. There were no significant differences between the treatments for total number fruits (132,969 fruits/ha), number of commercial fruits (81,957 fruits/ha), number of noncommercial fruits (49,976 fruits/ha), total weight (44,992 kg/ha), weight of commercial fruits (29,331 kg/ha), weight of noncommercial fruits (12,833 kg/ha), weight of total fruit (353 g/fruits), weight of commercial fruit (358 g/fruits) and weight of noncommercial fruit (253 g/fruits). The lack of response to fertilizer N could be due to residual soil N and the capacity of the soil to supply N. The suggested fertilizer N level for plantain production in similar soils and crop management as the one used in this study in the southern semiarid coast of Puerto Rico is 100 kg N/ha. |
