Macronutrient Fertilization and Cadmium Absorption in Two Cocoa Clones

Abstract

Soil Cd is absorbed by roots and accumulated in cocoa plants, which represents a problem in the commercialization of beans. In order to evaluate whether the exogenous application of macronutrients (N, N-P, N-P-K, N-P-K-S, N-P-K-S-Mg, and N-P-K-S-Mg-Ca) mitigates the absorption, translocation, and accumulation of Cd in plants, soil pH and electric conductivity, dry root and shoot biomass, leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll content, and macronutrient bioaccumulation were evaluated in two cocoa clones (CCN-51 and EET-103) grown in a greenhouse. An increase in macronutrients gradually increased the extraction capacity of Cd in both clones, with the highest Cd values being obtained with the application of N-P-K-S-Mg-Ca. Macronutrient fertilization did not affect leaf gas exchange; however, it caused significant reductions of 30, 40, and 60% in chlorophyll content, shoot, and root dry biomass, respectively. The greatest translocation of Cd from the root to the shoot was obtained with treatments that included N in clone EET-103 and Ca in clone CCN-51. Fertilization with macronutrients did not decrease the absorption and accumulation of Cd in the cocoa seedlings, because a greater removal force of Cd from the adsorption complex towards the soil solution was caused by the exogenous application of Ca and Mg and an increase in soil acidity.