Morphometric response of Vanilla planifolia to different fertilization regimes

Abstract

Vanilla planifolia is considered the third most expensive spice in the world. Due to its high demand, one of the main challenges faced by producers is soil degradation resulting from the intensive use of agrochemicals. This study evaluated the morphometric response of Vanilla planifolia to four types of fertilization at three measurement intervals (30, 60, and 90 days). The Friedman test was used to analyze the combined effect of time and treatments, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to assess the effect of treatments on the plants. The results showed significant differences across the different time points and in the Silicon treatment for the variables evaluated, except for the number of shoots. To determine where the statistical differences occurred, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was performed, revealing statistically significant differences in all temporal comparisons. These results indicate that the morphometric development of the plants was greatest at the final time point. It was demonstrated that both time and the applied treatments had a significantly positive effect on the morphometric development of the plants, providing valuable information for decision-making in situations that may threaten the integrity and sustainable growth of the plants.