Abstract:
In Mozambique, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are used as a strategic crop to achieve food and nutritional security for the population. Potassium is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and the lack of it in the soil can lead to a marked decrease in crop productivity. It also plays an important role in the formation and growth of tuberous roots and in their quality. A trial was conducted in Nwalate, district of Boane, between the months of October 2015 and April 2016 in a clayey soil to evaluate the effect of fertilization with combined doses of potassium and boron on the yield and quality of the sweet potato. orange (Ipomoea potatoes Lam.). The Randomized Complete Blocks Design (DBCC) was used with 4 repetitions arranged in a 3 × 3 × 4 factorial to evaluate the combination of 3 doses of potassium (0, 100 and 200 kg.ha -1) and 3 of boron (0 , 1.5 and 3 kg.ha -1) in the yield and quality of 4 orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties (Irene, Ininda, Bela and Délvia). The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that fertilization, both alone and in combination, did not have a significant effect on the total and commercial yield (p> 0.05), but the interaction had a significant effect on the average number of roots per plant (p <0.05), unlike varieties (p <0.05) and with 20.5, 16.1 ton.ha -1 and 3 roots per plant. Fertilization and varieties had a significant effect (p <0.05) on the dry matter, beta-carotene, starch and protein content in the roots, with average levels of 27.25%, 14.2%, 61.1% and 5.9%, respectively. (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)
