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Proposal of Critical Nutrient Levels in Soil and Citrus Leaves Using the Boundary Line Method
Antonio João de Lima Neto1, Amanda Veridiana Krug2, Jean Michel Moura-Bueno2
1Department of Plant Science, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza 60356-000, CE, Brazil.
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 27, 2025
Summary
This study establishes critical nutrient levels and sufficiency ranges for citrus orchards, improving fertilizer recommendations for better yield and fruit quality. The boundary line method provides precise nutrient management guidelines for orange and tangerine crops.
Area of Science:
- Horticultural Science
- Soil Science
- Agronomy
Background:
- Accurate fertilizer recommendations are crucial for optimizing citrus yield and fruit quality.
- Establishing critical levels (CLs) and sufficiency ranges (SRs) for soil and leaf nutrients is essential for precise agricultural management.
- Existing methods may not fully capture the complexities of nutrient management in commercial citrus orchards.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish critical levels (CLs), soil fertility classes, and leaf nutrient sufficiency ranges (SRs) for citrus (Citrus sinensis and Citrus deliciosa).
- To develop improved fertilizer recommendations for commercial citrus orchards.
- To support enhanced citrus yield and fruit quality through data-driven nutrient management.
Main Methods:
- Utilized yield, soil, and leaf nutrient data from commercial orange and tangerine orchards in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (2016-2021).
- Employed the boundary line (BL) method to correlate yield data with soil attributes and leaf nutrient content.
- Developed models to establish soil fertility classes and leaf nutrient SRs based on the BL analysis.
Main Results:
- Defined appropriate soil fertility classes for pH, Organic Matter (OM), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), SB, CEC, and V%.
- Established appropriate ranges for leaf nutrient contents including Nitrogen (N), P, K, Ca, Mg, Sulfur (S), Boron (B), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn).
- The BL method successfully established nutrient CLs using commercial orchard data, outperforming conventional approaches.
Conclusions:
- The established soil fertility classes and leaf nutrient SRs provide precise benchmarks for citrus orchards.
- The boundary line method offers a robust approach for determining nutrient CLs in commercial agricultural settings.
- These findings enable more accurate fertilizer application, directly addressing the real nutritional needs of citrus crops.
