Standardization of Leaf Sampling Technique in Jackfruit Nutrient Status Diagnosis

In China, little information is known about the nutrient requirements of jackfruits and the traditional nutrient management usually depends on the experience. Therefore, in this study, an attempt was made to standardize the leaf sampling technique and the suitable range of leaf nutrient concentrations for jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) nutrient status diagnosis. The sampling result was affected by canopy height, leaf age and time of sampling. Therefore, the three factors were studied. The results illustrated that the stability in level of nutrient concentrations was in 3 - 6 month-old leaves from the central part of the canopy. The most stable period was from April to May for leaf sampling. It was recommended that the stable intracanopy and stable period of nutrient concentrations could be used as the standards of leaf sampling technique. Based on the leaf sampling technique, the standard of leaf nutrient concentrations was summarized, and could be used as the standard of nutrient suitability evaluation.