Capacity to absorb mineral nutrients from Arracacha roots (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft)

The use of lime and fertilizer benefits the crop because most Brazilian soils are acidic and low in nutrients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of two cultivars ('Senador Amaral' and 'Amarela de Carandaí') of arracacha cultivated with Agrosilício and lime (agricultural lime) to absorb the nutrients. The experiment was carried out in Ouro Branco, MG, Brazil. The treatments were: T1 - Dolomitic lime at a dose of 1,000 kg ha-1 (saturation to 60%); T2 - Agrosilício (Harsco Minerals) at a dose of 1,000 kg ha-1; T3 - Agrosilício at a dose of 2,000 kg ha-1 (twice the recommended dose for correcting soil acidity). They were uniformly incorporated into the soil. The roots were manually washed and the plants were separated into shoots (leaves), crown and roots. There was no significant interaction between the cultivars and the treatments performed for calcium in the dry matter of roots. Concerning magnesium, it presented a significant difference in the cultivar 'Amarela de Carandaí'/T2, which showed a high absorption of this element. For some reason the silicon had a significantly different effect in T3 on the leaves and roots. The arracacha can be considered an “intermediate” species regarding silicon accumulation, however it revealed a high concentration of silicon in both shoots and roots in T3; that is why it can be beneficial to postharvest storage. Concerning the economic aspects, the cost-benefit ratio for the use of the calcium silicate must be analyzed.