Liming effect on macronutrient intake for cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) in the Colombian Amazon

In the Colombian Amazon, cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) plantations have low yield due to soil acidity which limits the efficient use of nutrients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of liming and fertilization in an acid soil (Typic Udorthents) of the Colombian Amazon on the efficient use of nutrients in terms of nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and fertilizer recovery efficiency (FRE) for N, P and K, in four universal clones of fine cocoa flavor and bouquet. A completely randomized block design was used using a factorial arrangement, being factor A, four clones (a(1): ICS-1, a(2): CCN-51, a(3): ICS-39, and a(4): TSH-565) and factor B, four fertility levels (b(1): absolute control, b(2): soil 90 days after liming (DAL), b(3): absolute control plus N-P-K until reaching the requirements of the crop, and b(4): b(2) plus N-P-K until reaching the requirements of the crop). Results show that liming and fertilization affect NUE and yield, meanwhile, the lowest yield was found in b(1) for all the clones, suggesting that the natural soil fertility is not sufficient for cacao tree development. Clone CCN-51 was more efficient in the use of nutrients than the other clones, in this sense, the four clones responded differentially according to NUE and FRE, evidencing the influence of the genotype, the edaphoclimatic conditions of the area, as well as specific of pH and nutrient preferences for each clone.