This study was carried out in a greenhouse at the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, to evaluate the macronutrient level of bell pepper plants subjected to fertigation management and levels of nitrogen and potassium. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 3x6 factorial scheme (three fertigation management forms: M1= fertigation based on the crop mineral absorption, M2= fertigation by monitoring the concentration of N and K ions in the soil solution, M3= fertigation by monitoring the electrical conductivity of the soil solution) with four replications and five levels of nitrogen and potassium (N0K0, N50K50, N100K100, N150K150, N200K200 and N300K300). The level N100K100 corresponds to the recommendation of N and K for growing peppers under field condition (M1) and hydroponically (M2 and M3). At 120 days after transplanting, plants were collected to be analyzed for macronutrient content in the shoot, determining N, P, K, Ca and Mg in leaf, stem and fruit. The absorption of nutrients by plants is variable according to the management of fertigation adopted. In general, the highest levels of N, K and Ca occurred in leaf tissue; phosphorus in fruits and Mg in the stem. The fertigation management by monitoring the ion concentration in the soil solution provided adequate nutrition of plants with the highest economy of fertilizer.
Capsicum annuum; greenhouse; porous capsules.
