Evolution of the predictive criteria for the tropical fruit tree nutritional status

Abstract

The diagnosis of plant nutritional status that aims to balance essential elements in the plant is of utmost importance for sustainable agriculture. Nutritional diagnosis is a technique that has been implemented to maximize the economic return from fertilization and minimize losses to the environment. A balance can be defined as a relationship between components interacting in plant tissue, where some nutrients may be pre­sent in excess, deficiency or sufficiency. Diagnostic methods have been evolving constantly, allowing to interpret nutrient levels in isolation to more complex methods accounting for nutrient interactions.