Arquitetura de planta, teores de clorofila e produtividade de batata, CV. atlantic, sob doses de silicato de potássio via foliar

Abstract

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the forth world s more important culture, cultivated in more than 125 countries and consumed by more than one billion people due to its nutritional composition, gastronomic versatility, technological adaptations and low price. Its production efficiency guarantee a bigger use of areas destined to foodproducing, characteristic that shows the tendency of the culture s grown in a global scenario of constant population growth. It is a culture that receives high doses of fertilizers. Concerning the silicon, the potato does not accumulate this element. This study was developed with the cultivar Atlantic, in the municipality of Serra do Salitre - MG, in order to evaluate the architecture of potato plants, the productivity and soluble solids under different doses of potassium silicate foliar applied. The experiment was conducted in randomized blocks with five doses of Potassium Silicate (0,2; 0,4; 0,6; 0,8 and 1,0% of K4SiO4 in syrup). 49, 64 and 78 days after planting, it was evaluated the A, B, A/B and total chlorophyll levels, the angles between the stem and petiole, the third, seventh and tenth leaves, and shoot dry matter thirds of the upper, middle and bottom. After 78 days was also evaluated the percentage of the blackleg disease. At harvest, 112 days after planting, it was analyzed the productivity (t ha-1) and soluble solids in the tubers. The K4SiO4 provided significant increments in the potato production of the extra and total commercial classes.