The arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft) culture, in spite of already being cultivated for a long time in Brazil, has still low information on its nutritional aspect, and the field development. The study of the nutrient distribution inside the plant and their behavior along the vegetative cycle is important to establish a correct fertilizer recommendation, and to provide nutritional information, besides to obtain best commercial root production. The macro and micro nutrient levels and accumulation in the crop were evaluated through a field experiment accomplished with three levels of N, P, and K, in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro State, using a random blocks experimental design with four repetitions. Four sample periods were observed along the crop cycle, where three sections of the plant (leaves, corm, and roots) were collected; also, changes in nutrient levels of the plant sections were monitored along the time periods. Correlation of the nutrient levels was not observed in the plant parts, in the sampling times, with the commercial roots production. Larger accumulations of the nutrients were observed between the 150 and 210 DAT in the leaves, 210 DAT in the corm and 300 DAT in the roots. The levels were influenced by the applied treatments, but an answer was not observed in the increase of commercial roots production.
Arracacia xanthorrhiza; mineral nutrition; NPK fertilization
