Differential Growth of Genotypes of Physic Nut Conditioned by Nitrogen Fertilization

Abstract

The adequate supply of nitrogen is essential for the plant metabolism. This nutrient has an irreplaceable role on the vegetative and reproductive growth of physic nut; therefore the correct management of the fertilization is very important, particularly in tropical regions, which present considerable losses of nitrogen by leaching and volatilization processes. This study was made with the objective of evaluating the growth of genotypes of physic nut conditioned by nitrogen fertilization. The experiment was conducted in controlled environment, following a factorial scheme 12 × 4, with 12 Brazilian genotypes of Jatropha curcas L. and 4 levels of nitrogen fertilization (0%, 50%, 100% and 150% of the recommendation), in completely randomized design, with four replications. The growth of the genotypes was evaluated at 100 days of cultivation. Positive response to the increase in the nitrogen supply was observed in most genotypes, with gain in plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area and root volume. The levels of nitrogen fertilization promoted differential growth between genotypes, being possible to identify genotypes with superior growth for each level.