Minerals and Metal Content of Four Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Cultivar Leaves Grown in South Florida, Poster Board #166

The present study was carried out to evaluate the mineral content of five popular mango (Mangifera indica L.) varieties in South florida. The macro/micro nutrients and heavy metal content of ‘Haden’, ‘Tommy Atkins', 'Kent' and 'Keitt' ‘Irwin’ mango leaves after harvest were determined. The experiment was conducted at the National Germplasm Repository, Subtropical Horticulture Research Station (SHRS) in Miami, FL. Sixty leaves were randomly selected from three  different locations (four trees per location) within an 85 ha field at the National Germplasm Repository, Subtropical Horticulture Research Station (SHRS) in Miami, FL. The soil was a Krome (Loamy-skeletal, carbonic, hyperthermic Lithic Udorthents). The precipitation was 1.29 inches from November through February 2008-2009 and 9.52 inches from November to February 2009–2010. The soil pH ranged between 7–7.5. The mango trees were fertilized every six months with an N–P–K rate of 8–4–12 at 1 pound per inch of trunk diameter. Micronutrients applied with fertilizer were: Mg (4%), S (0.56%), Mn (1.01%), Cu (0.05%), Fe (1.36%), Zn (0.14%), and B (0.06%).  Sixty leaves randomly selected from the entire tree were harvested and taken to the laboratory for analysis. Preliminary results demonstrated variations among cultivars and locations. Some of these variations could be the result of varietal differences. Furthermore, locations and soil structure, with associated differences in minerals content, may have contributed to differences in the level minerals, heavy metals. Results from this work demonstrated that most of the minerals available in the soil at even low levels could be extracted and taken by the trees in almost enough quantities. This is important because this could impact the amount and type of fertilizer applied during the fertilization process.