Discover key facts about arecanut nutrition, including essential nutrients, deficiency symptoms, and fertilizer management practices. This quiz explores practical and scientific aspects to enhance crop productivity.
Which macronutrient is most commonly required in higher quantities for optimal arecanut growth and nut yield?
Explanation: Nitrogen is the main macronutrient arecanut plants need in significant amounts to promote vegetative growth and nut development. Sulfur and chlorine are needed in much smaller quantities, and zinc is a micronutrient, not a macronutrient, so they are less appropriate choices.
Yellowing of older leaves starting from the tip and along the midrib in arecanut is commonly associated with a deficiency of which nutrient?
Explanation: Potassium deficiency in arecanut often leads to yellowing and necrosis at leaf tips and margins, starting from older leaves. Calcium and magnesium deficiencies have different patterns, while boron deficiency typically causes distorted growth rather than leaf yellowing.
Why is it recommended to apply fertilizers in split doses rather than a single dose in arecanut plantations?
Explanation: Splitting fertilizer application reduces the risk of nutrients being washed away, thus ensuring better uptake by the plants. Saving labor is not a direct reason, nut color is more influenced by genetics and maturity, and shade is managed by plantation design, not fertilizer timing.
Incorporating organic matter like compost or green manure in the arecanut basin chiefly improves which aspect of soil health?
Explanation: Organic matter enhances soil structure by improving aeration and moisture retention. While it can indirectly affect pest resistance or humidity, the most direct impact is on the soil's physical properties, not light conditions.
What is a primary function of magnesium in the arecanut palm's physiological processes?
Explanation: Magnesium is essential for chlorophyll formation, which is critical for photosynthesis in arecanut. Root elongation and pollination involve other nutrients and hormones, while wax formation is mainly related to other metabolic products.