Abstract
ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to evaluate the agronomic performance of Italian zucchini as a function of phosphate fertilization. The experiments were carried at the Rafael Fernandes Experimental Farm, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró, RN, Brazil, from August to November 2015 and from July to September 2016. The experimental design was randomized blocks in 2 x 5 factorial scheme, with four replicates. The treatments consisted of the combination of two cultivars (Caserta and Alícia) and five doses of phosphorus (0, 40, 78, 120 and 150 kg ha-1 of P2O5). Phosphorus doses associated with the maximum marketable yields estimated were smaller for Alícia than for Caserta in the period from August to November 2015. In the period from July to September 2016, these estimated doses were higher for Alícia compared with Caserta. Alícia, regardless of crop season, was superior to Caserta. Zucchini cultivation from July to September of 2016 resulted in higher fruit yield in comparison to the period from August to November 2015.
Highlights
Italian zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) or ‘abobrinha de moita’ is a vegetable cultivated in almost all the Brazilian territory, especially in the Midwest and Southeast, which concentrate the highest production and consumption, the São Paulo state
Period 2 (D), in Italian zucchini for the cultivars Alícia (■) and Caserta (●), as a function of phosphorus – P doses behavior was observed for Caserta in period 2, with maximum of 110 g plant-1; Alícia showed a quadratic response and a maximum of 147 g plant-1 was obtained at the dose of 127.60 kg ha-1 of P2O5 (Figure 2B)
The means of number of marketable fruits (NMF) and total number of fruits per plant (TNF) as a function of P doses fitted to the quadratic regression model, for the cultivars Alícia and Caserta, in both cultivation periods (Figure 3), as observed by Oliveira et al (2013) in the zucchini crop
Summary
Italian zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) or ‘abobrinha de moita’ is a vegetable cultivated in almost all the Brazilian territory, especially in the Midwest and Southeast, which concentrate the highest production and consumption, the São Paulo state. In Italian zucchini and other species of the Cucurbitaceae family, P plays a preponderant role in development, flowering and fruiting. It is one of the least required macronutrients, only ahead of sulfur (Gaitán et al, 2012). Castagnino et al (2007) evaluated the influence of P on the zucchini crop and obtained higher yield due to higher number of fruits per hectare and higher dry matter. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of Italian zucchini as a function of phosphate fertilization
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