Calcium in the production and quality of cauliflower seeds

Pâmela Gomes Nakada-Freitas,Reges Heinrichs,Estefânia Martins Bardiviesso,Emanuele Possas De Souza,Isabela Ribeiro Martins,Gabriel Ferraresi Hidalgo,Juliana Tamires Dos Santos,Hugo Cesar Rodrigues Moreira Catão,Louyne Varini Santos Dos Anjos,Natália De Brito Lima Lanna,Antonio Ismael Inácio Cardoso

doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i2.12763

Pâmela Gomes Nakada-Freitas, Reges Heinrichs + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i2.12763

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Abstract

There are researches with calcium to produce the cauliflower inflorescence, but for seeds production no studies were found, this element is fundamental for the fixation of the floral buds and in the production and quality of seeds. The objective was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of calcium on different phenological stages of cauliflower plants in seed production and quality. Eleven treatments were evaluated, varying the number (1 to 4) of calcium (6 g L-1 of calcium chloride) applications and the phenological stages (E1 = floral stem with 30 cm length, E2 = opening of the first flowers; E3 = formation of first siliques; E4 = 50% of silique formed), resulting: T1 = control without application of Ca; T2 = E1; T3 = E1 + E2; T4 = E1 + E2 + E3; T5 = E1 + E2 + E3 + E4; T6 = E2; T7 = E2 + E3; T8 = E2 + E3 + E4; T9 = E3; T10 = E3 + E4; T11 = E4. The results showed a higher seed production per plant in treatments T10 (E3 + E4) and T11 (E4) with 42 and 48 g per plant, and a higher number of seeds per plant, with 12,379 and 12,978, respectively, compared to the control (T1): 23 g and 5,725 seeds per plant. Calcium applications in different phenological stages did not influence the physiological quality (germination and vigor) of cauliflower seeds of cultivar 'Piracicaba Precoce'. Application of these treatments in other cultivars is promising for further studies.

Highlights

There are studies on nutrition and fertilization recommendations for cauliflower production, there are few studies about nutrient effects on seed production and quality
There was a higher weight and number of seeds per plant in the treatment T10 and in the treatment T11 (Table 1)
With the increase in the cauliflower plant cycle for seed production, as well as a greater accumulation of dry weight in the seeds (Cardoso, 2011), there is a greater need for nutrients, among them calcium, which is not very mobile in the plant (Kano et al, 2010) and can be supplied via foliar application (Bevilaqua et al, 2002; Ole and Bender, 2009)

Summary

Introduction

There are studies on nutrition and fertilization recommendations for cauliflower production, there are few studies about nutrient effects on seed production and quality. Due to the scarcity of information related to nutritional requirements, fertilization may compromise seed productivity and quality (Cardoso, 2011). One nutrient that has been neglected in the research about the production of vegetable seeds is calcium. In cauliflower it is the third most accumulated nutrient in the plant (Cardoso et al, 2016). Its function is to act in the formation of the calcium pectate, present in the middle lamellar of the cell wall, in the germination of the pollen and pollen tube growth, being a fundamental element for the fixation of the floral buds and in the production of seeds. Its deficiency in plants can result in poor biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, reduced crop quality and yield (Dayod et al, 2010)

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