Production and resistance of three scallion cultivars to pink root

Abstract

The production of scallion has been widely exploited on small farms, since it requires little care and is largely commercialized close to the production sites. Pink root, caused by Phoma terrestris (syn. Pyrenochaeta terrestris),is among the main diseases affecting this crop. However, little information on aspects related to yield and few cultivars resistant to the disease are available. In this study we evaluated these variables on Konatsu, Natsu and Nebuka cultivars. The experiment was carried out in Lontras, Santa Catarina state, Brazil, in a complete randomized blocks design with four replications. After 80 days of transplantation the following parameters were evaluated: plant mass, total and marketable number of leaves, total and marketable mass of leaves, lenght and weight of roots. The total number of bunches was assessed as an evaluation aiming the market. The disease severity, in percentage on the root system, was assessed for the pink root. The average values of the variables were subjected to analysis of variance by F test and mean comparison test by Tukey, 5%. The Konatsu cultivar presented higher average mass per plant (159 g plant-1) compared to Nebuka and Natsu cultivars. The average mass of marketable leaves for 'Konatsu' was 56.17% higher than for 'Nebuka'. The number of bunches produced by 'Konatsu' was 48% higher than for 'Nebuka'. The cultivar Konatsu was, therefore, more productive and resistant to the pink root disease.