EFFECTIVENESS OF AGE OF CUTTING AND FERTILIZATION IN NUTRIMENTAL CONTENT OF Moringa oleifera Lam.

Background. A strategy to improve the nutritional content of moringa during its different stages of growth is through efficient fertilizers management. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of cutting age and fertilization in the nutritional content of moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.). Methodology. A complete randomized block design was used with split plot arrangement (A/B) and four repetitions. Factor A: cut age, 60 and 120 days after transplantation (DAT). Factor B: soil fertilization with NPK (kg ha-1) in the doses 13-13-13 (T113), 26-26-26 (T226), 38-38-38 (T338) and control treatment without application (T4SA). The variables evaluated were: crude protein (CP), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) in stems and leaves. Statistical differences were found (p ≤ 0.05) for cutting age, fertilization with NPK and the interaction between both. Results. The interaction age of cut - fertilization with NPK, showed statistical differences (p ≤ 0.05); for the K in leaves and Zn in stem. According to the means test with Tukey (p ≤ 0.05) regarding factor A, the best treatment was at 60 DDT and T113, T226 and T338 for fertilization with NPK. The best interaction was for the age of cut at 60 DDT with application of T226 and T338 for K in leaves and T113 and T338 for Zn in stem. Implications. The low doses of fertilization used in this study and the form of fertilizer distribution along the growth of moringa contribute to an efficient management of fertilizers in moringa. Conclusions. The age of cut at 60 DDT showed the highest values of nutritional content in leaves and stems. The fertilization doses applied significantly improved the nutritional values with respect to the control. The interaction between cutting age and fertilization with NPK promoted increases in nutritional values of K in leaves and Zn in Stems at the cut age of 60 DDT.