Spacing between plants and cultivar affect the production componentes of Italian zucchini

Carlos J X Cordeiro,Francisco I Souza,Jandeilson P Santos,Leilson C Grangeiro,Valdivia De F L Sousa,Nubia M Ferreira

doi:10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v24n5p332-336

Carlos J X Cordeiro, Francisco I Souza + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v24n5p332-336

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Abstract

ABSTRACT The italian zucchini is a vegetable of national importance, much appreciated, which requires techniques that aim to increase production in less space. Plant spacing can influence the development of plants and the fruit production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of Italian zucchini cultivars as a function of plant spacing. The experimental design was a randomized blocks in a 2 x 4 factorial scheme with four repetitions. The treatments consisted of a combination of two cultivars of zucchini (Alícia and Caserta) and four spacings between plants (0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 m). The evaluated characteristics were: total number of fruits plant-1, number of commercial fruits plant-1, total productivity, commercial and non commercial, fresh mass of commercial fruits and dry mass of the plant. The cultivars responded differently to spacings between plants. The Alicia hybrid showed higher commercial yield, 28,490.5 kg ha-1 at spacing of 0.64 m between plants and Caserta cultivar, 26,398.8 kg ha-1 at spacing of 0.4 m.

Highlights

Italian zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), known in Portuguese as ‘abóbora de moita’ and ‘abobrinha de tronco’, is one of the most consumed vegetables, standing among the ten vegetables of greatest economic importance for Brazil (Matos et al, 2017)
The italian zucchini is a vegetable of national importance, much appreciated, which requires techniques that aim to increase production in less space
The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of Italian zucchini cultivars as a function of plant spacing

Summary

Introduction

Italian zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), known in Portuguese as ‘abóbora de moita’ and ‘abobrinha de tronco’, is one of the most consumed vegetables, standing among the ten vegetables of greatest economic importance for Brazil (Matos et al, 2017). When the spacing between plants is reduced, the density of plants per unit of area increases, reaching a point at which plants compete for essential growth factors such as water, light and nutrients (Harms et al, 2015). Planting density is a tool of great importance because it can be managed according to the demand of the consumer market, aiming to maximize production and economic return (Resende & Costa, 2003a). Another important tool is the evaluation of genotypes, since different materials may respond differently with respect to yield. Several hybrids have been created and introduced in the market because they are early, with high yield and uniform production, in comparison to the cultivar Caserta

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