Fertilizer recommendations for banana plantations should be technically sound and, mainly, more adjustable on a scientific base than the usual recommendation tables. A system was developed to estimate recommendable nutrient doses for banana (FERTICALC®-Bananeira), by means of modeling nutrient balance. This nutrient balance is obtained by the difference between the crop nutrient demand and supply through soil and plant residues. When the demand is higher than the supply, fertilizer application is recommended; when it is lower or equal to the supply, fertilizer application is not recommended. Simulations showed that the recommendable nutrient doses by the FERTICALC®-Bananeira increase continuously with the expected productivity rise and the reduction of nutrient contents in the soil that are higher in the first cycle and lower from the second cycle on. The FERTICALC®-Bananeira represents an important alternative for the recommendation of fertilizers for banana plantations due to the underlying logic and variables.
banana; nutrient balance; nutrient demand; nutrient supply; modeling
