Reference values for nutritional diagnosis of ‘Gigante’ cactus pear by boundary line approach

Abstract The objective of this work was to determine reference values for nutritional diagnosis of ‘Gigante’ cactus pear cultivated with organic fertilization under semi-arid conditions by boundary line approach. The contents of nutrients, determined in samples collected in newly mature cladodes, dry matter yield (DMY), and nutrient extraction of 72 plots of an experiment with ‘Gigante’ cactus pear, fertilized with cattle manure, were used to establish the reference values. The lower (L1) and upper (Lu) limits of the reference values were determined by fitted regression of DMY (y) as a function of nutrient contents in cladodes (x), considering a percentage of the maximum dry matter yield (slope = 0). The reference values, established by boundary line approach for macronutrients and micronutrients, are accurate for the nutritional diagnosis of ‘Gigante’ cactus pear and determine classes for interpretation of nutritional status. The normal reference values established for macronutrients, in g kg−1, are: N (≤11.2 – <19.0), P (≤1.0 – <2.1), K (≤26.7 – <44.2), S (≤0.9 – <2.1), Ca (≤22.1 – <32.6), and Mg (≤9.1 – <13.0); and micronutrients, in mg kg−1, are: B (≤21.6 – <33.5), Cu (≤1.7 – <4.8), Fe (≤49.0 – <125.4), Mn (≤0.0 – <680.4), Zn (≤28.3 – <80.6), and Na (≤19.3 – <72.2).