St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is a medicinal plant widely used for human anti-depressive treatment, despite of being little studied as a cultivated crop. This work was conducted to evaluate nutrients accumulation and initial growth of this plant species, in response to phosphate fertilization and liming. The experiment was carried out in Lages, Brazil, from July to December of 2003, in a greenhouse. The experiment followed a completely randomized factorial design (4x3), corresponding to four pH values (4.1; 5.5; 6.0, and 6.5) and three rates of P (0; 50, and 100 mg kg-1 of soil), with four replicates. Two plants were cultivated per pot, in an Inceptisol. The contents of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe in the soil and in the plants were obtained, as well as shoot and root dry matter. The combination of the liming and phosphate fertilization promoted the accumulation of Ca, Mg, K, N, and P in the aerial part and also plant growth of Hypericum perforatum L.
Hypericum perforatum L.; medicinal plant; plant nutrition; dry matter
