Agronomic and productive efficiency of the blackberry crop (Rubus glaucus Benth.) with the application of nitrogen and potassium in subtropical conditions of Ecuador
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56926/repia.v5i1.128Keywords:
soil fertility, fruit trees, plant nutrition, subtropical cropsAbstract
Nitrogen (N) is essential for optimal crop development, while potassium (K) plays a key role in protein synthesis and the water and ion balance of plants, influencing their productivity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of N and K application in blackberry (Rubus glaucus Benth.) cultivation under subtropical conditions. Five treatments with four replicates were implemented in a randomized block design (RBD), and the results were statistically analyzed using Tukey's test (p<0.05). Fertilization was applied to the soil, and agronomic variables such as the number of main and secondary shoots, productive and unproductive branches, flowers, fruit weight and size, yields, and associated costs were measured. Treatments T1 (210 kg of N ha-1+ 165 kg of K₂O ha-1) and T3 (350 kg of N ha-1 + 165 kg of K₂O ha-1) increased unproductive branches, showing lower overall performance. In contrast, T2 (210 kg of N ha-1 + 275 kg of K₂O ha-1) optimized shoots, productive branches, and flowers, while T4 (350 kg of N ha-1 + 275 kg of K₂O ha-1) improved fruit size and weight. However, T2 stood out with a yield of 11,039.53 kg ha-1 (11.04 t) and profitability of 110.28 %, offering significant economic benefits for farmers.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Alex Enrique Salazar-Saltos, Cristian Rene Chusin-Ayala
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