Soil Fertility, Physiological Traits, and Fruit Quality of Morinda citrifolia as Influenced by Agroecological Management Practices in a Tropical Ferralsol

Changes in the soil fertility, physiological traits, and fruit quality of Morinda citrifolia were investigated between January 2012 and December 2020. Soil samples, physiological properties, and fruits of M. citrifolia were collected in a factorial scheme 2 × 2 × 2, with the use of intercropping with Musa spp., mulching, and biofertilization (e.g., presence and absence) within five blocks. We evaluated soil reaction (pH), P by Melich-1, soil exchangeable cations, potential acidity (H⁺ + Al³⁺), sum of bases, CEC, SOC, F_m, F₀, F_v, F_v/F₀, F_v/F_m, photochemical quenching, non-photochemical quenching, apparent electron transport rate, firmness, refractometric index, soluble sugar content, acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and fruit mineral content. Our results emphasized the influence of agroecological practices on soil chemical properties, plant physiological traits, and fruit quality of M. citrifolia. The combined use of intercropping, mulching, and biofertilization showed high values of soil pH, available P, Mg²⁺, electron transport rate, firmness, ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, fruit Zn content, and fruit Na content and low values of Ca²⁺ and K⁺ under field conditions. The results of this study highlight the importance of considering agroecological practices as promoters of fruit quality, and thus improving fruit properties with high importance for human mental health, fruit palatability, fruit development, fruit postharvest storage, and redox state of the human body.