The influence of organic fertilizers on the chemical properties of soil and the production of Alpinia purpurata

Organic fertilizers are an important contribution of organic matter that modify the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of the soil. To determine the impact of solid and liquid fertilizers on Alpinia purpurata, the nutritional characteristics of the soil and the responses of the plants were evaluated at 40 and 365 days in Medellin and Madero and Ignacio Allende, Tabasco, Mexico. The treatments were compost, vermicompost, fermented manure, Bokashi, liquid humus (6 Mg.ha-1 and 60 L.ha-1), chemical fertilizer (150-50-250) and the control. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks with three replications for each treatment. The experimental unit was a stump with stems of A. purpurata. For the soil, the concentrations of organic C, total N, available P and exchangeable K were determined. For the foliage, N, P and K contents were determined. For the stump, the number of stems, the commercial and the noncommercial biomass were determined. For the stem, length, diameter, flower diameter and flower length were determined. Fertilized soils had an increase in C (40%), N (47%), P (83%) and K (56%) after 40 days. One year after the addition of fertilizers, the soils maintained acceptable nutritional levels for production. The Bokashi fertilizer increased the concentration of P (9.5%) and K (8.3%) in the foliage of plants from Medellin and Madero. Liquid humus increased N (16%) in the foliage from Ignacio Allende. When fertilized with fermented manure and compost, the plants increased the number of stems (35.3%), total biomass (35.5%), stem length (19.2%), stem diameter (16%), flower diameter (9.5%), and flower length (12.3%).