Changes in nutrient contents in peel, pulp, and seed of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) in relation to organic mulching on the Andalusian tropical coast (Spain).

• Almuñecar cherimoya are enriched in K, P, C and N. • Cherimoya seed suffered the least changes under unfavourable climatic conditions. • Cherimoya peel, enriched in Ca and Mg, could be used as amendment in acidic soils. • Addition of pruning wastes did not significantly change the nutrient concentration. Cherimoya, a tropical fruit from South America whose commercial demand is increasing for both its exceptional flavor and high nutritional content, is expanding in cultivation to subtropical areas such as the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia (Spain). In this paper, we analyze cherimoyas (peel, pulp, and seed) grown in Almuñécar (Granada, Spain) during the years 2013, 2015, and 2016 from trees applied with different pruning wastes (avocado, cherimoya, mango, and garden). The cherimoya fruits had high contents in most of the macronutrients, especially K, Ca, and micronutrients such as Fe and Zn. The Na, P, K and Ca concentrations were related to the plant mulch that released nutrients to the soil and led to a variation in soil-nutrient bioavailability by decreasing the soil pH. The seed was the part of the cherimoya that registered the least nutritional change due to annual weather differences and the highest positive effects of mulching in terms of increased nutrient availability after mulching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]